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Colleges in Crisis: let’s talk about young adult mental health
The Tulane community has suffered several tragedies during the Fall 2014 semester, highlighting the need for awareness and advocacy for mental health issues on campus. Tulane isn’t alone in this mental health crisis. Colleges across the country struggle to meet the needs of their students and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. In order for us to come together as a community, we must talk about the unique mental health challenges college students face. Students must feel empowered to discuss mental health issues, while supporting and encouraging their peers to seek help when they need it.
See my article in The Hullabaloo to learn more about college mental health.
More Resources for College Mental Health:
The Fine Line Between Healthy Ambition, Pathological Dieting & Eating Disorders
Whether trying to lose weight, gain muscle or simply live an overall healthy lifestyle, regular gym goers usually have a clear goal in mind. If working toward such a goal, healthy eating habits usually go hand-in-hand with regular sweat sessions. These are great habits to have in order to live a healthy and well balanced lifestyle and are something that doctors and fitness experts would certainly recommend. However, there does come a point when well intentioned habits straddle the line between healthy and unhealthy. When taken to an extreme, these habits can have dangerous consequences….
I recently wrote a guest blog post for my favorite gym in New Orleans, Cypress Fitness. Check out my full post on their website, here!
Rates of eating disorders heighten among college students
Twenty-five percent of college students suffer from an eating disorder, and this statistic is on the rise according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder and females between the ages of 15-24 with anorexia are 12 times more likely to die from the illness than any other causes of death. Pathological dieting and poor eating habits have become normalized on college campuses, with students skipping meals or or doing “fad diets” so that they can go out to eat or binge drink at night. To learn more about eating disorders on college campuses, check out my article appearing in The Tulane Hullabaloo.
For more information, check out these links:
How to recognize warning signs of suicide in college
Suicide is the second-largest leading cause of death on college campuses, with approximately 1,100 students dying by suicide every year. Click my latest column below to learn more about suicide in college students, the risk factors and warning signs, and knowing how and when to seek support. Although the answer to preventing these tragedies is complicated, it can certainly start with educating ourselves about this tragic mental health issue.
Self-injury is common and treatable in college
As a psychiatry resident working in New Orleans, I have the opportunity to treat a wide range of interesting people. I also have the great opportunity to work with college students when they show up to the Tulane emergency room in crisis. Something that I often see in these students and other young adults is a pattern of self-injury.
What may seem strange or scary to some, is a daily impulse for others. Check out my latest column in The Hullabaloo: 
Men Suffer from Eating Disorders Too
In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I wanted to highlight an important yet often ignored aspect of eating disorders. The number of men suffering from body image issues and eating disorders is growing, however, many men do not seek treatment because eating disorders are often viewed as a “female issue.” Recently at Paris Fashion Week, dangerously thin appearing male models were seen walking the runway, launching a social media firestorm discussing men and eating disorders. More men are also suffering from “muscle dysmorphia.” Learn more in my article from The Hullabaloo:
National Association for Males with Eating Disorders
“Manorexia” on the rise: men with eating disorders face stigma with getting treatment