Miranda Dale had her first breakdown during her freshman year at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. It was 2 a.m. on a Saturday, and she hadn’t left her dorm room in days.
“I honestly didn’t know what to do,” says Dale. “I heard rumors that at a big university you’re just a number and you’re not going to get through to anyone” at the university counseling center.
But when she called the school’s counseling line, someone answered right away. Dale got help getting a prescription for medication, and she was booked for an appointment that Monday. She was eventually diagnosed with bipolar II, a mood disorder that usually requires medication.
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