College is a challenging period in a student’s life with many changes and transitions physically and mentally, on a personal, social, and professional level. This individualized society augments such challenges, as students are ill prepared to adapt and the world on many different levels. Thus, we should make it a priority to educated our Universities to better equip and educate their staff to assist and help students through this difficult time period, whether the student may have real mental issues, or is only a normal, growing, developing person. To punish a student while not admitting the Counseling/Mental Healt Dept.’s role in failing the student’s past attempts for help demonstrates recklessness and injustice on the Dean’s part, and by such an example does not positively and properly educate the student.

Angela Q., at 4:20 pm EDT on June 2, 2006

The stigma attached to mental illness is contradictory to the press generated on the subject. The answer is join NAMI and self educate then practice acceptance and understanding. I’ve seen my daughter paralyzed by the stigma and it’s repercussions NOT by her mental illness. She is a college student who also works part time. NAMI has changed the lives of our family...we accept because we understand and we cope because we know how.

Rebecca, at 7:25 pm EDT on June 5, 2006

Rebecca, I don’t get it. Are you saying that if I “educate” myself, I will jettison my cultural beliefs and automatically agree with you who has a clearer view of truth? There are stigmas attached to lots of things: physical appearance, lack of graduate education, watching TV, putting beads on your rear-view mirror, and smoking (to name a few). Why should mental illness be any different, especially when people tend to want to stay around people with mental defects.

In this case, I am somewhat sympathetic to the girl who thought she was a cat, but I would not her as my lawyer, doctor, driver, or stylist. She could, however, be my exterminator, because I have a mouse problem.

Sharon, While your comment is vague in places, I think you are driving at the right idea: colleges need to define what they are going to do for all who are associated with them. (E.g. faculty are paid, promoted and given benefits; students are charged, “taught” and provided with housing on the same basis as any other landlord. Whether or not someone helps out poor kids is irrelevant to whether they are competent to exist in a higher-education setting.

Larry, at 9:50 am EDT on June 7, 2006

Larry. You are too ignorant for your own good. If you look up Florence Nightingale and Huysmann the composer you will learn that suffered from similar conditions to the girl who thought she was a cat.

Florence Nightingale is a pioneering nurse who revolutionized the health care system, and Huysmann is a leading classical composer. People like YOU and almost everyone else don’t mind taking from those who can give to them. Society is a meritocracy. We are all taught to chase the American Dream or die for it. (Japanese people work 80 hour weeks and if they get sick they commit guolaosi ( A Chinese word for) suicide)Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people in many nations. Your attitudes contribute to suicide amongst people of your culture who do not tolerate illness. Type your country, mental illness and suicide on google (The rates may be high, and the services may be inadequate)

Huysman was great composer he gave much to this world. So did Florence NightingaleWhere would nursing be without her.

But When the givers and the functioning get sick you toss them aside because you are too ignorant for your own good.

Your sort of ignorance is just as bad as militant racist nationalism in times when the Japanese murdered the Chinese, or during the time when Pearl Harbour was bombed, racism is everywhere. I have heard that man in wheel chair with cerebral palsy had his eyebrows burnt of by some violent not ill prejudiced people who thought they were being funny. (The judge only gave them a light sentence). Sexual abuse is prominent and the culprit is not even mentally ill.Pedophilia is rife in Thailand, and the poor parents endorse it.

Be glad that your mother does not have Alzheimers disease which is a little similar to the disease of the girl who thought she had a cat. One day you might end up sick. and your racist nazi friends will make you feel suicidal because you belong in a society that has ill been informed.

When people vote for Saddam Hussein or President Bush and opt to go to war are they sane???? When people choose Nazism, and mass culling as a solution to the ills of the world are they sane. Institutions can also be sick. Society can also be sick and unaware of its own insanity until it is too late. Understand those people in the nursing homes and who get help. Understand the poor autistic boy who happens to be genius.A member of the band The Vines has a mild form of aspergers.

They are not a danger if they are able to get help, and people are not in favour of the Nazis. By creating stigma you prevent people getting help. You create perpetual sickness, homelessness. The worst that can happen is only if the person is acting violent towards another person. That when those people can be involuntarily locked up

In 1 in 4 relationships there is violence and the culprit does not have a mental illness.

Learn that not all criminals have a mental illness. Most are just plain evil.

Secondly learn to support people who get help. Not all people who are violent are mentally ill. Some of them watch too much Jerry Springer, do drugs, or a part of a militant gang that plays with knives and deals in prostitution and violence.Some people are paid to be hit men.

Armed forces do not always identify their targets correctly and can accidentally kill many innocent civilians during times of invasion. Acid bombs can burn off the faces of these innocent civilians.

You need to get help Larry. You need to educate yourself on the internet

You are sick yourself, Larry!Just learn that sick is not necessarily evil

Sickness and health is one scale.

Good and evil is another.

Go watch ‘A Beautiful Mind’ Don’t do drugs like Chrystal. Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas took it. Promote an environment where people are safe to bounce back and function again. Some people have relatives who are sick. How would you deal with your parents being mentally ill if they were not harming you?Do you just disrepect them then?

Polly, at 8:20 pm EDT on October 20, 2006