Depression and anxiety are a big deal at ASU. In fact, 40.9% of students have reported feeling so depressed that they feel it’s difficult to function.
Evan York, the author of "Sick of Suffering," was in that boat when he was a freshman at ASU. He was prescribed to take medication for his anxiety and depression.
“I didn’t want to, but I didn’t think I had any other choices,” he said.
York did not feel that the medication had worked.
“It was actually probably worse for me,” he said.
After a ten-month struggle with “unexplained” depression and anxiety, Evans said he found a better way to address his conditions.
“I said to myself, you know, there’s got to be a better way to do this, and so I essentially just started reading, I was reading at that time probably four or five books a week,” he said.
“What I really started to discover was that, you know, food and diet and lifestyle had everything to do with what I was experiencing in my head.”
York said the key aspects of the lifestyle include a “clean diet” of meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. He also underlines the importance of taking supplements, exercising regularly and sleeping seven to nine hours a night.
The author says the root of the solution is a link between physical wellness and a healthy brain.
When asked if he believes ASU is doing all it can to help mental health issues, York said “absolutely not.”
“The way that mental health is treated today is very, very broken,” he said.
The ASU Student Government recently approved a bill to expand the school's health and wellness services starting in the Fall 2018 semester. The bill partly aims to prioritize low-cost referrals for behavioral health, as well as introducing specialized health care like nutritionists.
Previous episodes:
After Hour: DACA recipient discusses growing up and the protests that landed her in jail
After Hour: Former addict coordinates ASU's Recovery Rising program
After Hour: ASU Archivist speaks about the history of the Arizona State–Arizona rivalry
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