Ross Szabo is CEO of the Human Power Project.
I stared out of the window of the psychiatric ward in utter disbelief that my freshman year of college had ended, after only two months. I went to American University with so much hope. College was going to be the place where I moved forward with my life. A setting where I could meet new people, make new friends, and finally get out of my small town. I was also hoping to no longer be haunted by my bipolar disorder that plagued me in high school. Unfortunately, the change to a new environment brought out the worst episodes I had ever seen.
After days of uncontrollable mind racing thoughts, I binge drank to shut my brain down. Nights of heavy drinking eventually led to hopeless depression, thoughts of suicide, and extreme loneliness. Then the hallucinations surfaced. Slowly at first with me just hearing my name, but the delusions built to assaulting voices telling me to hurt myself, and others. Luckily, I had the awareness to call my parents and tell them I needed to come home.
It took me six long years of different colleges, treatment plans and hard work before I returned to American University and finished my degree. Now, as I travel around the country regularly speaking to college freshmen orientations, I look out at the thousands of eager students, and let them know college is a great time for them to work on their mental health. It’s a time of growth and newness that offers some of the best opportunities to learn about oneself.
Here are some vital mental health tips as students get back to class:
1. Change can be a trigger. The first time you’re on your own it can be a really freeing feeling. However, that major change can also bring out a person’s first episode of a mental health disorder or cause a lot of anxiety/nervousness. Finding a healthy way to deal with the change like talking about the emotions with friends/family, writing about it, exercising, or connecting with others are healthy steps.
2. Get some sleep. Most students didn’t sleep a lot in high school and typically they sleep less in college. The brain doesn’t fully mature until the age of 25. Getting more than six hours of sleep helps the brain continue to develop, allows a person to retain more knowledge, and provides better health overall. The myth of pulling all nighters for last minute papers or studying is never more effective than getting sleep.
3. Think About How You Cope. The ways that students cope with difficult events like rejection, loss and change in high school can carry over to college. The longer a person uses a coping mechanism the harder it can be to change. Students who come to college that are coping by isolating themselves, abusing drugs/alcohol, zoning out with TV or video games, or other negative methods have a chance to take time and develop healthier ways to cope with life’s challenges.
4. If You Have a Mental Health Disorder Have a Plan. For students that already have a diagnosed mental health disorder, it’s vital to know what support you need before you go to college. Talking to a mental health professional to determine what kinds of resources are available is a good first step. Have regular check ins with family/friends to monitor any changes. Set up an appointment with the counseling center to learn more about what is available on campus. Try to normalize mental health as a part of a student’s life rather than solely focusing on or isolating the mental health disorder.
5. Make Mistakes. Students feel a lot of pressure to never mess up or fail, but those experiences are a part of life and can help people become much stronger. As students go through a process of learning about themselves, mistakes are bound to happen. The best way to achieve positive mental health is to learn from past mistakes.
Simone, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, was inspired to become involved with community service after seeing the outpouring of support her family received when her dad was deployed. Simone and her brother launched 
Adejire is a Public Policy and Community Outreach Fellow at Twitter. A Maryland native, Adejire has been a youth advocate for over 15 years. In 2008, Adejire became the first African American woman elected as a student to the Howard County School Board. During her tenure, Adejire increased youth participation in policy committees and advocated for testing reform – efforts which were recognized by TIME magazine. Adejire has also launched FoundHER to support the leadership potential of high school and college women through workshops and mentorship in Boston and New York and has served as a member of the State Farm Youth Advisory Board and as a member of the Brookings Institution Global Citizenship Learning Metric Task Force 2.0. She has been named one of the “24 Under 24 Youth Changemakers” in the United States.
Daniella, a rising junior at Highland Park High School in Illinois, is the co-founder of 
Ola works for a federal agency in Washington, D.C. She is also a contributor for the Huffington Post and her writings have been published by the White House, Marie Claire Magazine, and the American Association of University Women. She founded two nonprofits, Sacred Hearts Children’s Transplant Foundation and the 
Dennis is a Los Angeles native studying Government at Harvard College. The son of Nigerian immigrants, he is passionate about addressing social justice issues, including mass incarceration, voter disenfranchisement, and education inequality. He has served as an editorial writer for The Harvard Crimson and volunteers as a citizenship tutor, working one-on-one with recent immigrants to help them pass the U.S. Naturalization Test. Dennis ultimately hopes to return to his community to help effect positive social change as a civil rights lawyer.
Jessica is a junior at UC Berkeley studying Business and Social Welfare. She is particularly interested in youth empowerment and gender equity. She has served as a volunteer and peer educator for the Gender Equity Resource Center on campus, where she spread awareness about LGBTQ issues. She also serves on the Youth Advisory Council of the 
Gillian is a rising high school senior from California. Her mother introduced her and the rest of her family to the importance of giving back with their annual family foundation meetings where the Junior Board Members give grants and visit a local non-profit to see their impact. Gillian has traveled to Ecuador with other inspiring youth leaders and started a micro-lending business in her host community there. Drawing on her personal experiences – including her father’s suicide – and her passion to improve mental health, she also started her own club to empower her peers and a Shame Share project to pull others out of fear and silence.
Renee is a rising freshman at Mt. Holyoke College. When she turned twelve, she started to volunteer at her local community center, providing free childcare for parents who were studying to pass their GEDs, and she is still involved today. In her junior year of high school she found the courage to come out of the closet and joined her high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. She has also become an administrator on the Facebook page
Christopher, a current psychology major at Yale University, has had an entrepreneurial spirit since the age of 13. After recognizing problems of access for key societal needs, Christopher became interested in designing and building structures to improve community life and access to services. In 8th grade, Christopher founded a tutoring company, Prestige Review Group, which was acquired by a Shanghai-based consulting firm in 2014. At 15, he started the national anti-bullying nonprofit, 