Our University is a leader in offering accommodating resources for students. 

The start of the Division of Rehabilitation Education Services in 1948 made Illinois the first school to have a post-secondary disability support program, and since then, the University has remained ahead of the curve. 

DRES is most often associated with projects that include building the first wheelchair-accessible fixed route bus system, accessible residence halls and a collegiate adapted sports and recreation program for students with disabilities.

What people seem to be less familiar with are the services DRES offers for students with mental illnesses.

In light of Mental Illness Awareness Week, we want to point out the importance of addressing mental illness and the necessity of seeking help when needed. 

For students on campus, they should know that they have options. They can work with the DRES staff to find the solutions that best fit their needs. They can have priority registration for classes. They can take advantage of the free and unlimited therapy DRES offers. 

The DRES department even works with professors so the students enrolled in their classes can continue to succeed academically.

We’re proud that our University has a program that offers these options to students who need them. 

But the negative stigma often associated with mental illness is enough to drive people away from seeking help. 

Mental health is a topic that shouldn’t be ignored, especially on a college campus. College is a melting pot of failure and success, of highs and lows. Students are trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives while dealing with the social and academic pressures of being a student at a prestigious institution. 

And on top of that, many have to deal with student loans, rent and other financial struggles. 

Students are under a lot of pressure, and it’s OK for them to seek help if it becomes too much to handle. 

They are not alone. 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness says one in four people between the ages of 18 and 24 has a diagnosable mental illness. Since 2000, the number of students who are registered with DRES for psychological reasons has increased 90 percent, yet only 344 students were registered with DRES during the 2013-14 academic year for psychological reasons — this is less than 1 percent of the student population. 

Mental illness is something very real and very prevalent. We need to accept that this is an issue that needs to be discussed and appropriately addressed.

The University has some of the best resources for students struggling with mental illness, and those who need help should not be ashamed to use these services to improve not only their educational experiences, but their overall well-being.