THON: A great cause, but not the only one

Penn State does an amazing job of battling pediatric cancer every year with THON. But what about other causes? Mental illness rates are rising with each incoming class, and it’s time to take a step as a community fight for that as well.

The aftermath of the THON pep rally

I think we can all agree that cancer sucks and that THON does a great job at fighting it. Here’s the thing though, cancer isn’t the only cause that should matter to students at Penn State.

One problem that has increased dramatically over the past few decades is mental illness. Today’s average student has the same level of mental health as a 1950’s patient in a mental institution. That’s a problem.  College today is a necessity for most jobs, which wasn’t the case back in the mid-20th century.  Students are under more pressure than ever to succeed and many, through no fault of their own, aren’t able to handle it.

And what’s worse is that the counseling centers on campus, like CAPS here at Penn State, aren’t equipped to deal with the rising influx of students seeking help with current or developing mental health problems. Despite the fact that the Class of 2016 (including me) just voted for CAPS funding as the class gift, there is still the problem of space for new counselors and of getting students in quickly instead of being put on a waitlist.

The unveiling of the 2016 class gift

A big problem with getting people to care about mental illness is that it is often not as visible as something like cancer. A lot of this has to do with stigma. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, they aren’t blamed for it because how could it possibly be their fault? And when they go into remission, they receive even more support than ever and rightly so, because fighting something as horrible as cancer takes a lot.

But when I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety my freshman year of high school, I knew it wasn’t something I was supposed to talk about, not even after I got help and was doing a lot better. Some things that I’ve heard numerous times over the years are “why don’t you just be happy” and “why don’t you just not worry”, both things that I truly wish were that simple. But for me, just like 1 in 4 students on college campuses with a diagnosable mental illness, they aren’t.

When your kid is sick, whether it’s the flu or something more severe, you want to take care of them. They get time off from school, medicine, love and anything else they might need. When I’m having a particularly rough mental health day, I get up and go to class. Not because I think I’m going to learn anything that day or because I feel up to it, but because the class I have that day only has 2 free absences and I’ve already used them.

Do you know what it’s like to feel like you don’t have the energy to do anything, but at the same time you are constantly thinking about the million and one things you need to get done? That’s depression and anxiety together and it sucks, plain and simple. You want to be alone but you’re lonely, you want to get involved, but what if it interferes with your academics, and on and on and on.

Life with mental illness is tough, but I know life with cancer is just as tough in different ways. I didn’t participate in THON this year or the past two, but this year instead of just watching on the live stream, I made the trek to the BJC. I was only there for about 5 hours before, during and after the pep rally, but it was worth it.

Here’s the thing though, while I saw and heard plenty of people talking about their dancers and how cool different events were, hardly anyone mentioned the kids (aside from those on stage of course). There were complaints about aches and pains, annoyed remarks about the line and the crowds, and a whole lot of other things that didn’t seem very positive. I obviously have no idea what people were talking about down on the floor, but up in the stands I was a little disappointed with my peers. Isn’t the whole purpose of THON for the kids?

I know THON is important, I would never disagree with that, but I want to live in a world where students care just as much for the other, less visible issues. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those aged 15-24. Of course not everyone with a mental illness is suicidal, but the fact that it is the second leading cause of death is not something we should overlook. I’m not suggesting we stop dancing for the kids, I’m not even suggesting we dance for mental illness. But I think Penn State would be an even greater community if we all took a little time to educate ourselves on mental illness and tried to help our friends as they deal with their own battles. The class gift was a great starting point, so let’s not stop there.