Cracking open the books at the start of a new university year can bring stress and anxiety. Distress centres typically see a spike in calls when students go back to school.
“We tend to see a higher volume of calls from students at this time of year,” said Katherine Carter of the Ottawa Distress Centre.
Students make up about 5 per cent of the centre’s calls, according to Carter. Last year, the 24-hour support line had up to 40,000 calls in total.
“I think sometimes asking for help is a hard thing to do. Students have a lot of pressure to be independent,” Carter said.
Carter said the global economic downturn could be contributing to some of the stress hanging over students this year.
“Any time with concern of employment or funds to attend university contributes to stress. With tuition fees so high, the thought of no job after grad creates stress, and we do get job-related calls.”
Meanwhile, Carleton’s student counselling service is gearing up at the start of the school year.
“This isn’t our busiest time,” health educator Patty Allen said. “There’s a slow, gradual increase, then craziness around exam time.”
But Allen said with some 24,000 students on campus, counselling services offer a lot.
“We get about 200 people in a week for individual counselling, 30 for group, and, in residence, another 50 a week,” Allen said. “Also, our [general practitioners] do some counselling.”
According to Allen, not as many first-year students take advantage of counselling as upper-year students because it takes a while to realize what’s available.
“It can be about everything and anything: home sickness, clinical depression, relationship breakups [or] serious medical diagnoses.”
Natalie Cate, a second-year student in human rights, has never used the counselling services on campus, but has other ways to keep from stressing out. She said building a support network is key.
“I think the Carleton community is very open,” Cate said.
It’s probably easier to make friends in residence, Cate said, because everyone has the same lifestyle, offering a built-in support group.
“So if you live off campus, you’re not with other students, and it might take a while to adjust.”
Both Cate and Allen said organization is very important for reducing stress and anxiety, along with communicating openly with TAs, teachers, friends and family.
The Ottawa Distress Centre also encourages students to call if they feel overwhelmed, or just to talk.
“It doesn’t have to be about a crisis,” Carter said. “Don’t suffer in silence.”