The Benefits of Therapy
The mental health assembly on Apr. 16 brought to light a few of the many issues with which Exeter struggles. We Exonians, caught in our pursuits of elegant perfection, often neglect the harms such a pursuit brings to ourselves, and the school does not do enough to get rid of the stigma that comes to those who seek mental aid. Anyone who is depressed or believes they are suffering from some mental illness should put their well being first and consult the school therapist. In fact, we as a community should all frequent the therapist, whether under the beliefs of mental illness or not. Not only will the full utilization of the school therapist lead to a happier Exeter, it will eliminate the stigma and fear that the student body feels about possessing a mental illness.
From Connor Bloom’s touching story, we learn that mental illness can come and go in waves. Initially feeling some depression, he managed to cast it aside, and his depression laid dormant for a lengthy amount of time. Due to the disregard Exonians have for mental illnesses, the need to seek the therapy and friends must have never seemed urgent to Bloom during his remission. And so he let his illness swell and boil inside of him until it shot back in pangs of relapse. As unfortunate as Bloom’s story is, the fact remains that Exeter had and has the power to aid his depressives struggles. If only Exeter constantly sent emails urging us to meet with the therapists, constantly talked to us and our families about mental illness and addressed the issue with the seriousness that it deserves, only then will we fix the issue. During flu season, the school sends many emails and hires a bulk of nurses to give us shots for an illness that in reality affects few and kills even fewer. Yet little to no badgering is done for the illnesses that affect 47 percent of our community and certainly kills.
Exeter needs to strengthen the importance of seeking therapy for the ill, but should also stress the benefits therapy brings for all. Even if it’s not worthy enough to be considered an illness, every gloomy, happy, confusing and vivid emotion deserves to be voiced. And it is exactly this—the vocalization of emotions—that scientists, buddhist monks and many disciplines have discovered pacifies the brain. Whether with the paid psychologists, with friends or on a piece of paper, describing our emotions helps us better understand them. At Exeter we are so focused on harknessing Jay Gatsby or Alex the Geologist or Sinbad that we forget to harkness what matters the most—ourselves. The school needs to stress that therapy and meetings with the psychologist are meant for the mentally sane just as much as they are for the mentally ill. With total school involvement with the psychologist, many will learn more about themselves, those with dormant mental illnesses will receive aid before they relapse and Exeter as a whole will be much more accepting for those who seek aid for their potential disorders.
Amongst the many humbling gifts Exeter rewards its students, the free access to a therapist is one of them. Outside the bubble, therapists charge around a $100 per session, and Obamacare has not yet addressed the various loopholes that allow health insurances to not cover the mentally ill. Despite this luxury, the Exeter administration does not do enough to encourage the use of this service, and we Exonians still neglect our mental illnesses. It’s about time things change. No longer are we Exeter sharks shooting to hide our discomforts and fears of mental health, but we need to apply the gift of Harkness to all aspects of our lives and discuss, find comfort with and support the mental illnesses we and others in the community may face.