By: Sampada Acharya
Lately, my experience as a UNC student has been an energy suck. Whether it’s having two lockdowns in the span of a month or feeling like my assignments are kicking my butt more than usual, I feel hollow. My roommates feel hollow. My professors feel hollow. We can take this hollowness and tell someone, anyone who cares to listen to the fact that we feel like shells of ourselves, but all we get as an answer is one day off from school and the CAPS address. CAPS, in its already limited capacity, is always promoted as a one-stop solution to every terrible situation that has plagued our campus. Don’t get me wrong, CAPS is doing the best they can with the resources they have. Whether it’s semester-long brief therapy, group therapy resources, or medication management, there is something out there. But just like Queen Taylor Swift said, “bandaids don’t fix bullet holes”. CAPS is UNC’s bandaid: don’t we deserve the whole first-aid kit?
Readers, I envision you saying yes. I also imagine that it’s obvious to many of you that we need structural change to the bigger issues that surround deficient access to mental health care. Here’s where I invite you to think about how public health, a field many of us hold near and dear to our hearts, can intersect with mental health efforts, so we can one day get that first-aid kit. For those interested in health policy and insurance coverage, there is an increasing need to emphasize the importance of mental health issues on the same level as physical ailments (APHA). For those interested in biostatistics or epidemiology, there is an increasing need to quantify the experience of mental illness in our communities as we investigate where access falls short. But what can we do at home?
As we start navigating these bigger issues with lack of access and our future careers, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of things we can’t control. (Believe me, you’re talking to someone with 6 different Virgo placements.) In spite of this, I have hope. Having this conversation alone about how we don’t have enough resources is a start. Banding together and building community can bring this conversation forward to UNC’s administration. Training ourselves in how mental health shows up in public health can build our skills to eventually bring about structural change to CAPS and other places like it. It’s on us to bolster mental healthcare access for all, so that one day, we can truly have that first-aid kit I mentioned above.
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Hi Sampada,
Thank you so much for your honest reflection on mental health at UNC. Our time at UNC has been plagued by various challenges and events, and it is extremely difficult to feel that our needs our fully met with the insufficient resources offered by CAPS. Mental health care access is an extremely important policy topic, as I am exploring it myself in one of my classes this semester. I agree with you that self-training and awareness is a major first step in combatting this problem. Our UNC community has come together time and time again to be there for each other, provide each other with resources, and offer a helping hand. The dedication, encouragement, and support offered by…