The Invisible Prison on Campus: 1,700 Mystics in the Dark

For 23 years, my world has been defined by concrete walls, the jarring slam of iron gates, and the constant, cold reminder that my physical freedom is completely out of my hands. But throughout all these years of isolation from the world, the strongest bars I have ever faced aren’t the ones made of steel. My greatest battles have been during the darkest of nights where severe depression took hold. I have looked straight into the quiet, heavy whispers of suicidal thoughts at times, knowing all too well what it means to be a true prisoner of your own mind. Just to wake up the next morning and do it all over again.

This is exactly why I am writing to you.

As you walk around the BSC campus, or sit alone behind your computer screen completing online courses, you might think your struggle makes you an outsider. But the statistics say you are not alone. This semester, BSC has more than 4,600 students including face-to-face and online students. While the vibe on campus may be buzzing with hope and positivity, there is a more disturbing, invisible reality lurking just beneath the surface.

According to the national Healthy Minds Study, which is administered by the University of Michigan and surveys tens of thousands of college students each year, roughly 37% of college students report moderate to severe depressive symptoms, and 32% battle anxiety. If we apply that to our own enrollment numbers of approximately 4,600, it means over 1,700 of your fellow Mystics are sitting in that exact same darkness with you. It means that all around you there are people sitting in the front row of lectures, working their part-time campus jobs, and even sleeping in the other bed in your dorm room, all forcing plastic smiles on their faces just to get by. Laugh now, cry later right? Wrong.

You have a massive amount of pressure on you right now. Wanting to get good grades, navigating being away from home, worrying about paying for school, and balancing a part-time job. It is all mounting pressure, turning you into a ticking time bomb. Choosing to fake your way through that isn’t a survival strategy; it’s igniting a fuse.

Every October, we have events that remind us that we are not alone in our struggles and that there is help available. This year, National Depression Screening day is on Thursday, Oct. 8, and World Mental Health Awareness Day is on Saturday Oct. 10.

If you are reading this and are struggling with depression, anxiety, or anything else, please act right now. Right here on campus, the Mystic Advising & Counseling Center (MACC), located on the first floor of the BSC Student Union Room 126 offers completely free, confidential counseling and screening guidance. Or, text/call the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

You don’t have to face what you’re going through all by yourself; there are people here for you. Please reach out to somebody now.