I’ve struggled with my mental health for years and haven’t been able to acquire adequate services to this day. My mental health deteriorated during my college years, due to multiple reasons. 

Externally, I’ve always looked like I had my life together, from participating in multiple clubs, having board positions, and maintaining a GPA above 3.5, while being a Neuroscience major and Criminology, Law, and Justice minor in the Honors College at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). However, internally, I’ve been deteriorating due to the lack of mental health support. After multiple thoughts of attempting suicide, I decided to reach out for help, and unfortunately, my expectations were not met. 

It took me four years to reach out for help, and that led me to multiple different clinics and locations and additional referrals, but to this day, I don’t have a therapist. “The waitlist is about a year long,” they told me when I asked for an appointment, “Your insurance doesn’t cover the cost,” providers would consistently break it down to me, “We don’t have enough people to help everyone reaching out.” This is what they told me for months. 

Today, I’m still managing the chaotic mess that’s called my life to maintain good grades and start my future, all while handling my mental health’s line graph, which has been quite volatile. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to take a semester off, as I have commitments and obligations tied to scholarships and living expenses that allow me to maintain myself and go to college for free. 

I don’t want other students to go through what I’m going through. I believe that every student has the right to obtain help to create their definition of a successful future. There’s always a story behind an individual dropping out, acting out, or being unmotivated. I’m positive that if any college in the U.S., such as UIC, were to obtain multiple resources for students to reach out without any issues, graduation rates would drastically increase, and the career success rate would follow as well. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, mental health and physical health are important components to living a healthy lifestyle. Lack of mental health care from an early age can lead to long-lasting chronic and internal physical issues such as diabetes, heart diseases, and stroke. However, there are definite steps that can be taken before any serious illness prevails. In 2019, the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act was passed in order to better mental health services on Illinois public campuses. However, the act has not been implemented due to lack of funding. Illinois legislators need to increase the success rate of students in college by voting to fund our mental health services. I know the funding will be used for a great cause. It will help and save the lives of thousands. 

 Eram Fatima is a junior at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is passionate about mental health advocacy and is committed to creating a world where everyone can access mental health services. 

Take action and urge IL legislators to fund campus mental health services.