News-Letter

Each spring an epidemic debilitates Hopkins students. It isn't spring fever or senioritis, but something much more worrisome -- anxiety. As college students anxiety is a normal emotion to some degree; worrying about the impending doom of finals happens to most everyone. For students who feel overwhelmed, it's easy to commiserate with peers and brush off their worries as insignificant. Ignoring anxiety through social interaction and keeping busy may be the cure for overcoming temporary troubles. Pushing problems aside, however, can potentially create an emotionally devastating situation.

Last spring, Adrienne Smith was a second-term junior. With a relatively light 15.5-credit course load, she assumed she would easily manage research, a part-time job in Towson and also procure a summer internship. With a leadership position in her sorority and a resolution to get in shape, Smith knew her schedule was ambitious. As Hopkins undergrads, it is necessary to be motivated and involved, but pushing yourself too hard can lead to a meltdown. Smith recalls, "When I started having heartburn and racing thoughts at night, I knew something wasn't normal." After an appointment with Health and Wellness diagnosed her with anxiety, Smith was referred to the Counseling Center and "found her cure through communication."

After a killer BioChem exam or ruthless poetry workshop, it feels good to decompress. It's almost a duty of friendship to empathize with, or at least listen to, the woes of our friends. While roommates and friends may lend their compassion, sometimes even an unconditionally supportive ear is not enough. When talking things out isn't enough to abate anxiety, professional advice is ready and waiting.

Located on the third floor of Garland, Hopkins Counseling Center is free, confidential and highly effective. A recent survey has shown that of the 7,000 students to whom the Center is open, more than one seventh take advantage of its services. Of these 1,000+ students, 34.2 percent were treated for anxiety-related issues in the past year. While treatment for anxiety varies in form from a single visit with a therapist to prescriptions, all students are treated through communication. Undergrads and grad students are welcome to schedule appointments, and are sure to be paired with a compatible professional from the Center's clinical staff of 14.

Talking with a professional is a first step to feeling better. Sometimes it's the only step. Communication in itself is a great method for externalizing stress and emotions going on inside. Communicating with a professional takes this a step further into examining that stress and rooting out the cause. With approximately 342 students seeking help with anxiety, the staff of the Counseling Center already provides guidance and advice to many at Hopkins. Anxiety is real and extremely common, but no one should have to deal with it alone.

With five weeks left of the semester, finals and summer jobs are looming large. After you schedule next term's 17 credits at Academic Advising and pick up a grad school guide in the Career Center, consider a stop at the Counseling Center -- where help isn't around the corner, it's just down the hall.

For more information, go to the Counseling Center's Web site at http://www.jhu.edu/~ccenter/ or call (410) 516-8278.

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