Mental health has become increasingly accepted in today’s society, especially at places like Colby. Resources for those with anxiety and depression are bountiful, and acceptance of these conditions is better than it ever has been. You would be mistaken to think that this extends to all mental health issues.
Unfortunately for so many students, this is not the case. Mental health stigma is still prevalent in our community. Many students frequently misuse terms like “delusional,” “bipolar,” and “narcissistic” daily, as well as slurs used to mock those with mental health and developmental disorders. These terms are not synonyms for “unrealistic,” “unpredictable,” or “asshole,” they are clinical terms used to describe serious problems people go through daily. This misuse of terms frequently reinforces the hatred towards people with these conditions, much in the same way as a slur. One student, a first-year living with schizophrenia who wishes to stay anonymous, says “It hurts me. I come from a rural area and I hear the same remarks I heard back there. I thought Colby was better than that. It scares me to know some people would view me as a monster because of the chemicals in my brain.”
Every person is worthy of respect, but we still live in a culture where factors far outside of someone’s control are seen as a mark of their humanity. Despite what the media tells us, those with psychosis and narcissism are people. Pretending as though they aren’t is no better than racism or LGBTQ-phobia. This bigotry does not exist in a vacuum. This is not only a problem among students, but in the accommodation system designed to help students with these conditions.
For example, among the difficulties of autism, ADHD, and numerous other conditions is atypical sensory processing. Many have described it as everything being at maximum volume and brightness at all times, or almost everything feeling like nails on a chalkboard. Many autistic students like myself experience physical pain when we undergo sensory overload, making us unable to perform certain activities in class. For some students, the unpredictability of a classroom environment can also contribute to this. I have found myself completely unable to focus on my lectures because the blinds were open. I was distracted by people walking to classes, the sniffling of students on the other side of the room, and the scratching of pencils on paper. This idea is backed up by studies. Fiona Elizabeth Jane Howe, PhD, reports that the more sensitive an autistic person is to different stimuli, the less success they will have in their schoolwork. Despite this, we are often told by professors and peers to ignore it and bottle up our response.
As it stands, there are no sensory accommodations available to students. To help make environments suitable for learning for as many students as possible, we should allow students to bring items to help manage sensory input, such as sunglasses and noise-canceling headphones. In addition, professors should send out surveys to their students to find compromises on the classroom environment, for example, how bright the lights should be. This can be done with something as simple as a Google Form, where it is easy to view all results and work out the best options.
Another failure of the accommodation system is not allowing certain students to forgo certain parts of assignments or receive substitute assignments.
Some faculty and professors would rightly point out that this could invalidate parts of their curricula. By allowing students to not do parts they are uncomfortable with, it doesn’t give students the opportunity to challenge their beliefs.
While I recognize their concerns, people with experiences severe enough would not go out of their way to make themselves uncomfortable. In the case of students with PTSD, avoidance of trauma triggers is a key symptom. My proposal for substitute assignments or questions is specifically for when a class that doesn’t focus on a potentially traumatic subject has a homework assignment about it. In this case, all that is needed is a different question that still shows that the student understands the material.
People with trauma are not the only people who will benefit from substitute assignments. As the student with schizophrenia recounts, “We watched a film that discussed a few conspiracy theories in my W1. I don’t believe in that kinda stuff, but the discussion made them stronger in a way. As we discussed the contents of it, I grew suspicious of the most basic things. Like I stopped drinking the root beer at Dana for a week ‘cause I thought it was poisoned.”
For some individuals, certain topics can trigger negative thought patterns, such as delusions, anxiety, and for some, suicidal ideation. When you feel like you are being hunted, your first priority is getting safe, not focusing even more on the topic that made you feel unsafe and writing hundreds of words about it. This can cause many students to get worse grades and hurt their social life. Any liberal arts education should strive to have students grapple with ideas that challenge their assumptions, but we should not force them to interact with ideas detrimental to their well-being.
While increasing the kinds of accommodations students have access to will undoubtedly lead to many students getting equal opportunities like their peers, the Colby community should strive to become more inclusive. The College and clubs should sponsor events where the focus is educating students and faculty on different conditions.
There is also work to be done on the individual level. If you, dear reader, have a condition you wish was addressed more, then you should start a support group. By getting in contact with peers who understand you and what you go through, you can form connections and a safety net should anyone’s symptoms intensify.
If you are someone who does not have disabilities like these, before using terms like “narcissistic” or “delusional,” talk to someone who knows what it’s like to live with them firsthand, or at the least research reliable sources about the subject. Try to imagine, if for a moment, that you had one of these conditions, and empathize with how that would make your life so much more difficult. When you hear a friend use a term like that, educate them respectfully and calmly, and try to get them to understand how saying those kinds of things can be harmful.
We have a long way to go in spreading acceptance of mental health and developmental disabilities. By forming communities, educating ourselves, and giving all students opportunities to learn on equal footing, we can start to undo the harm that has been done to people with these conditions for generations, and promote wellbeing for all students: current and future.
Brooke Vincent `28
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