People of traditional college age, between 18 and 25, are also in the age group that is more likely than any other to experience mental illness, and most mental health conditions develop by the age of 24. Eventually, Lynch applied for a scholarship that would pay for the 14-week program designed to mimic a college semester and prepare her to go back and get her degree. ![]() The second time, she muddled through a few courses but still came up short. The first time, she floundered and withdrew. Twice, she enrolled in community college courses to inch her credits toward the number needed for her bachelor’s degree. Lynch moved back in with her parents, got a job in a restaurant and then in a clothing store, and started going to therapy regularly. What had begun as a tentative plan for Lynch to finish her last assignments from home, in Brooklyn, turned into a leave of absence and then an extended hiatus. Credit: Yunen Bonaparte for The Hechinger Report After several years struggling to go back, she was able to finish her degree with help from Fountain House’s College Re-Entry program in New York City. Wesley Lynch, 30, left college shortly before she planned to graduate because she was suffering from depression. All of that went to the wayside,” she said. “Basically, when I was depressed at Mount Holyoke, that went to the wayside. In order to recover from her unplanned detour and be strong enough to complete her degree while coping with her depression, she realized she had to make a commitment to eating well, getting good rest and doing some form of exercise daily. ![]() The psychology class was part of a program run by the nonprofit Fountain House where Lynch, alongside other students who had left college because of mental health challenges, learned how important it is to have basic needs met. ![]() It was hard for me to even - even breathing felt really hard to do.” “But I was just really, really sad and depressed all the time. “I don’t want to say it was, like, impossible for me to do it,” Lynch said recently, recalling her struggle to remain on campus.
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