Life with a Mental Health Diagnosis

Depression and Anxiety are the most common and well-known diagnosis of clinical mental health disorders.

Psychology Today reported from a 2013 survey of college students at University of California Berkley, “57% of women and 40% of men reported experiencing episodes of “overwhelming anxiety” in the past year, and 33% of women and 27% of men reported a period in the last year of feeling so depressed it was difficult to function. Studies suggest that between a quarter and a third of students meet criteria for an anxiety or depressive illness during their college experience.”

This is a statistic that can be found in a majority, if not all, college campuses. Students struggle daily with overwhelming coursework, after-school jobs, and more, the addition of a mental health disorder can add a lot to someone’s plate.

Three students at Central Michigan University (CMU) came forward to share their stories battling mental health disorders that are not as common as Depression and Anxiety. All students are registered with CMU’s Student Disability Services (SDS) to help with courses and more.

Below are three videos documenting their stories:

1. CMU senior Christopher Overby has been struggling with Schizophrenia since high school, an unusually young age for this mental health disorder. Schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading people to battle auditory and/or visual hallucinations.

2. CMU freshman Sam Sturt was diagnosed with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), which is one of four disorders on the Autistic spectrum (as stated in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual of 2013) when she was at a young age. In high school, Sturt also developed ADD/ADHD, Major Depressive Disorder, and General Anxiety Disorder.

3. Lastly, CMU junior Shelby Miller was diagnosed with Narcolepsy in her junior year of high school. Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes an overwhelming amount daytime drowsiness.