Mariah Foley
Staff Writer

As students, people should treat everyone with respect, because you never know when someone could be having a mid-quarter crisis.

Everyone who sees a person rolling about in a wheel chair will know that person cannot use his or her legs. Instant empathy comes, because observers can easily remember a related experience.

A person in crises, on the other hand, will not get cut any slack because evidence of this problem cannot easily be seen. Even if someone knows that someone has a mental or emotional problem, they most likely can’t relate the same way as they could to one with physically evident problems. People who are having trouble tend to hide it from everyone because a fear of being misunderstood.

Mood disorders, such as depressive and bi-polar disorders, and stress disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder are considered to be less important than a physical one, because they are less noticeable in those around you.

What needs to be realized is that everyone is crazy to some extent. Everyone has emotions and obstacles to overcome, and life can get overwhelming. Acknowledging that you’re worried, stressed, or exhausted is not a weakness because every single student has to deal with the same things. Instead of thinking that you are singled out because you have a problem, realize that everyone around you has roadblocks to conquer, whether they’re physical, mental, or circumstantial.