Don't lose sight of need for mental health care

I am writing as a college student who is studying public health and epidemiology at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. We have found ourselves in the midst of COVID-19 running wild all over the Midwest, and as someone who is from the suburbs of Chicago, it is a very scary time to be a student. As we continue to social distance and attempt to protect ourselves from the disease, it is important to remember that we all take care of our mental health. Naperville has seen a large issue with drug use in the past, and now as we all suffer social losses, we may be facing a new unique outbreak, drug addiction.

Naperville has been referred to as "Heroin Highway," and we have seen many young people die from a drug overdose. It is incredibly important that we not only protect ourselves from the COVID-19 virus, but also from chronic mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, which can lead to drug addiction. Additionally, the extreme boredom that young people are facing and the ease of access to these drugs is the perfect recipe for a new wave of drug addiction in our young people.

I think that it is imperative that educators and community leaders are communicating with the students and recent graduates to ensure that their mental health is stable and offer them ideas of ways to exercise and stay healthy in the immediate future.

They can suggest things like at-home workouts, free online classes, or even zoom meetings with medical health professionals. It is crucial that we take care of our students to protect them from something much more deadly than COVID-19.

Sarah Mueller

Naperville