I honestly think one of the reasons we see so many articles about exercise, eating right, or yes, puppies, as the cure for depression and anxiety, is because we really just want it to be that easy, so it can be “fixed” and we can go back to ignoring the problem.
But, umm yeah. There’s a reason so many people responded to Gabrielle’s thoughts on the subject:
What my university lacks in real, robust mental health services, they try to make up for with half-hearted solutions like therapy dogs or de-stress sessions with free hot chocolate. But while Mulligan the golden retriever is cute, he’s a temporary solution — he’s not going to fix the mental health epidemic universities are facing.
Puppies, encouraging self-care, and trying to eliminate stigma are good things. They may even help alleviate some symptoms for some people tor a time. There are a lot of good things we can do to help the problem, but at the end of the day, if the actual resources required to treat mental health issues aren’t there, they aren’t there.
Colleges should do better. We all should do better.
https://themighty.com/2020/02/mental-health-services-college-campuses-viral-thread/