As August looms, college students begin to think about the upcoming academic year. Concerns over roommate compatibility or maintaining good grades are common. But for some, mental health challenges can arise in the campus setting.
Author and psychiatrist Mathilde Ross deals with the subject in her book “How to Thrive at College: A Guide to the Ups and Downs of Mental Health on Campus.” Ross, the daughter of Cicily and Joseph Hajek of Sharon, will be among the writers featured at the Hotchkiss Library’s 28th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing on July 31 from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.
In an informative yet humorous style, Ross, a senior staff psychiatrist in the counseling center at Boston University, dispenses advice to both parents and students. The book provides strategies for communicating about difficult topics and determining when there is a serious problem and when symptoms may be normal behavior.
Ross takes readers through a college calendar year and shares a series of cases she has encountered during her tenure. She’s counseled students with debilitating fears of dogs or flying, eating disorders and sleep deprivation — challenges that prevent them from functioning. Others are gripped by the certainty that they will fail out of school.
She also discusses those who suffer from depression, live with obsessive-compulsive disorder and contemplate suicide. Many problems can be traced back to childhood, she notes.
Ross says there are some things “we know are very, very bad,” labeling them “the Big Three: child abuse, domestic violence or a parent with an addiction. Each creates an unsafe and unstable early childhood environment, which is very bad for human development.”
She also speaks about the enormous pressure some parents put on their children — whether to succeed academically, excel in sports or pursue a particular talent — and the effects such expectations can have.
She writes about “young people who are burned out, and don’t know who they are. They know who their parents want them to be — they’ve gotten that message. But they’ve been driven to achieve, at the expense of knowing who they are, how to take care of themselves, or even if it’s worth it. A parenting style that emphasizes achievement at all costs … has a cost.”
Ross introduces readers to terms such as cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention, generalized anxiety disorder, stimulus restrictions and parenting pandemic.
While the subject can be heavy, Ross’s style adds a lightness to her message. Often self-effacing, especially when speaking about parenting her three children, she nevertheless provides tips that are easy to understand.
Ross said the impetus for writing the book came in 2017, when headlines blared about a mental health crisis among young people and she began seeing increased demand at her clinic. Friends, knowing her profession, peppered her with questions and concerns. Her short answer is, “The kids are all right. Not every single one, but the vast majority are very extremely totally all right.”
Her book, she said, is her answer to the public confusion.
For tickets to the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon’s Summer Book Signing, visit hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org
