Go into any college dorm room and piles of textbooks litter the floor. But when it comes to a guide to life and how to make it through, students are often on their own. And when it comes to dealing with the harder issues, many students are at a loss.
Emotional issues used to be discussed at the family dinner table, or for many, answered in church. But where are students turning now?
Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret, created an online outlet for expression by asking random people to fill out postcards with their secrets and mail them to him. Seven years later, his company has exploded.
The anonymity of the site generates honesty and connections, but are people really getting the support they need?
Relief of honesty and restrictions of anonymity
Megan McCarthy, a sophomore at Elon, had an opportunity to hear Warren present his initiative in high school.
“What struck me the most was that so many people were willing to stand up in a room of hundreds of people and admit secrets that they have never told anyone,” she said. “I think it showed a lot of courage because you could tell that it was difficult for them to do, but you could tell that after the fact, they look relieved.”
But McCarthy questioned the anonymity of the blog.
“I think being anonymous has both positive and negative effects,” she said. “I think that if you are someone who is too fearful to admit something to another person and want to get rid of a secret or problem, then it could benefit you. But, I also think it can hinder you from ever being able to learn how to socialize with people and talk about those issues.”
Some readers feel adamant about the lack of responsibility an anonymous site offers when it comes to spilling secrets.
“It gives people a place to get rid of their regrets,” said Elliot Luke, a junior at Elon. “It is like an Internet confessional, because people know that whatever they put on there, they are getting it off their chest without the consequences of doing it.”
Luke said the secret sharer avoids the confrontation that could come from telling the truth and the possible loss of a relationship with another person.
“It is way more helpful to talk to people about your problems. PostSecret is a very one-sided relationship,” he said. “If you really want to feel better about something, then you need to speak to a person. Just posting your problem really doesn’t make you feel much better.”
Luke, who has gone to counseling, said that in his experience, it does not reach a level of comfort necessary for healing. Instead, he turns to close friends, meditation and a dose of perspective.
“I have close friends I speak about things to,” he said. “And if it weren’t for them, I would be in a lot worse mental state than I am in now. I cope by meditation. I cope by realizing what is important at the moment, and what is not.”
Relationships seem to be a key ingredient in emotional health.
In an informal survey of 75 Elon students, 56 respondents said they go to friends to cope with pressing issues, while only four go to online forums or blogs. The second highest response, with 35 respondents, was to use activities including sports, hobbies or working out as an escape and coping mechanism.
Widespread issue of poor emotional health
According to Princeton University, emotional health is defined as a state of psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.
“More students — with more serious psychological issues — are showing up at campus counseling centers,” said a headline plastered across the American Psychological Foundation’s Journal in April 2010, detailing the increased emotional health situation for students.
More than one in 10 students sought counseling help, and a high number were for serious depression or anxiety reasons.
The American Psychological Foundation reported on the findings of the 2009 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors that dealt with 302 counseling centers at undergraduate schools.
Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois proposed the Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act. The act will tackle the lack of funding and overlooked mental health of the millions of college students who seek counseling.
Jordan Perry, the coordinator for student development and substance education at Elon University, specializes in substance prevention and works on programming for student issues. Perry believes trying to hammer statistics into students doesn’t effectively prompt motivation.
Perry’s work through supervision of Blackout Elon, a campaign aimed at educating students on drinking habits and misconceptions of binge drinking, as well as her work in classrooms, allows students to talk about the reason behind substance abuse.
“Stress is a primary one,” Perry said. “Another is students are influenced by their perceptions of their social environment. Most students perceive that other students drink more and more often than they actually do. When students have that perception, it can influence their behavior.”
What are students seeing in their emotional environment?
“We present these facades of being very put together, but on the inside we are human beings making mistakes and doing the best we can,” Perry said. “I think the reason PostSecret really resonates with people is that it makes you feel you are not so alone, knowing that other people have those thoughts and experiences. It makes you feel that you are connected to other people in this digital age.”
As a substance educator, Perry notes the helpfulness of the Elon PostSecret campaign.
“I think one thing that for us has been really helpful, is it is almost like a different form of data,” she said. “We get some qualitative data. These postcards are another way of telling us about what is going on around campus.”
Another program on campus that tackles a broad range of health issues is SPARKS, a student-led peer-education group which promotes healthy living choices on campus focusing on a variety of health topics.
Kelly Little, a senior psychology major and team leader for SPARKS, said she saw a gaping hole when it came to emotional health outlets.
“Most of the campaigns that Elon has reflect on something that has happened,” Little said. “For example, this racial discrimination campaign (Not on our Campus). And the federal program grant that started SPARKS was in response to an increase in students reporting issues with alcohol. They really aren’t supporting mental health campaigns at Elon, and this is our way of creating a mental health outlet for students who might be experiencing issues that aren’t necessarily supported by the university, or spoken about by the university.”
Students’ efforts to spill secrets
SPARKS began a localized PostSecret project at the prompting of Lizzy Appleby, a senior philosophy major and SPARKS member. She said the power of connectedness she witnessed at a PostSecret event inspired her.
SPARKS began asking students to fill out postcards and address them to the SPARKS campus box.
“I think there can be a lot of pressure to be positive all of the time,” Appleby said. “But the reality of life is that there are some times when we all experience great sadness, anger, embarrassment and many other not-so-positive emotions. It’s good to see the full spectrum of human emotion; it normalizes the experience of having many different emotions.”
Little hadn’t read PostSecret until SPARKS began supporting it. Now she finds a stronger and sometimes humorous connection to the secrets.
“I think one of the biggest things is realizing that other people out there are going through the same problems as you,” she said. “It provides a comfort and security. Not to mention that half of them are really funny. You read the one that is hilarious and makes you laugh,” she said.
Little reiterated the importance of mental health awareness on a campus and the outreach to provide to students at all stages of emotional stability.
“Elon PostSecret was a way of working it in without being blatantly obvious that we are working on mental health," Little said. “We are working on a way to present them that is not pointing anyone out or making a scene for anyone.”
Appleby said she hopes displaying powerful messages will bring the Elon community closer.
“I hope that Elon students become more aware of what is happening on this campus, and the kinds of struggles and joys that are happening in the lives of other students,” Appleby said. “It can be easy to forget that everyone has a story. I think PostSecret gives us a very small glimpse into the stories happening all around us.”