The latest Boston-based mobster movie hits close to home this time, as Hollywood portrays arguably the most notorious criminal the Hub has ever produced, James "Whitey" Bulger.
"Black Mass" doesn't try to get too cute depicting the federal informant, mobster and convicted murderer from South Boston. Johnny Depp, playing the lead role, doesn't drop his Rs or make references to the "packie" down the block. His FBI handler, John Connolly, played by Joel Edgerton, presents the right amount of cockiness, peacocking and puffing out his chest constantly when things are going good and cursing up a storm when they turn bad.
Late last month, the Chronicle of Higher Education featured an article titled "An Epidemic of Anguish," in which the author describes the skyrocketing rates of student mental illness on campuses. Although this is now garnering national attention, it is not a brand new problem — those of us working in academia have heard the urgent calls for more resources and more assistance coming from student health offices and counseling centers for at least a decade.
The Chronicle references the National Survey of College Counseling Centers. According to that report, 86 percent of counselors report an increase of students arriving on campus already on psychiatric medication. 94 percent report larger numbers of students with a history of anxiety issues, depression and self-injury ("cutting") before they ever get to college. 52 percent of college counseling center clients have "severe psychological problems" — an increase of almost 10 percent in just two years! Tragically, 86 percent of the individuals who committed suicide never sought any help at all.
