<p>"Make your choices keeping that diagnosis in mind, but don’t let it define you or your choices. "</p>
<p>Getting a diagnosis and working closely with an experienced mental health professional are vital so that the student gets the treatment they need and has the best chance of being able to flourish in college. The mental health professional also can help the student figure out what kin of college environment would be best.</p>
<p>The student’s mental illness and its severity should be considered as the student applies to college. If the illness is severe or the student will need ongoing treatment to have the best chance of doing well in college, it’s not likely that the student will be able to get the treatment s/he needs in a college in a small town or rural area. </p>
<p>I went to Harvard, and there are abundance excellent mental health services in that area. That’s not the case for most colleges in the country. Still, even with those resources, when I was a student, at least one student a year committed suicide. Others are psychiatrially hospitalized. From what I’ve seen in the news, it seems the same occurs now.</p>
<p>College counseling centers usually provide only short term treatment for mental illnesses that can be treated that way. Such centers usually lack the ability to provide longterm treatment for people with major mental health problems. Small towns/rural areas usually don’t have mental health facilities and professionals that can provide such treatment.</p>