Wesley Greenfield and Tiffany Franklin are future and current Toccoa Falls College students who live with autism. The Talon got to speak with Greenfield and Franklin about their opinions on common stereotypes and individual, everyday experiences an autistic mind.

Toccoa Falls College Men's Basketball players discuss mental health in the sports industry, misconceptions, and what people can do to support them.

My path to Toccoa Falls College and Alternative Baseball began on November 27, 1995: the day in which I, Taylor Clark Duncan, was born to my parents at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga., at around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. It seemed I was born in normal shape at a healthy weight of 8 pounds and was brought home to Hiram, Georgia, despite doctors’ predictions of physical problems upon birth.

Toccoa Falls College’s (TFC) Student Wellness Center is a safe space on campus for students to seek support, help and guidance as they navigate the stressors and obstacles of school and life. The Wellness Center offers Student Counseling Services that aim to support the emotional needs of students in a secure and confidential environment. The counselors are capable of handling various forms of psychological distress, grief and trauma, and adjustment to college life. TFC and the Student Wellness Center are dedicated to providing students with the means to effectively manage and process mental health struggles. 

Epilepsy is “a neurological disorder that causes seizures or unusual sensations and behaviors.” It involves misfiring signals in your brain that can cause your lip to twitch or you to fall out of your seat. When I was three-and-a-half years old, I was diagnosed with Continuous Spike-wave Discharge During Sleep (CSWDDS), which is a unique form of epilepsy.

Suicide. The first time I remember hearing this word I was 11 years old. It was a beautiful November day, and my mother came into my room crying. She told me that my great uncle had killed himself. At the time, I did not really understand what had happened. I just knew that I was confused and sad. My uncle had been an outwardly happy person. He was funny, loved his family and served in his church. How could someone who seemed “okay” not really be, okay?

September is Suicide Awareness Month, but the numbers are hardly decreasing. Maybe you have lost someone to suicide, nearly lost yourself to suicide or have never been impacted by the crisis. No one should feel like their life doesn’t matter or that ending it is the best option. No matter your experience with suicide, you can help prevent it.

In today’s society, the topic of mental health appears to have a negative connotation. The issue seems to get kicked under the rug until it is pushed onto the surface.

Anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are no match for God. Keep reading to learn how one TFC student invites God into their battles with mental illness and be reminded of the role He plays for each of His children as Healer.

I have Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. I have scoliosis which has been surgically corrected. I have had my hamstrings and tendons lengthened. My ankles have been repositioned. I am able to walk with a walker. I use a power wheel. That’s what I say when someone asks, “what happened?”

Keep reading to learn more about how cerebral palsy affects, but does not fully define, the life of a TFC student.

I wish I could make sense of mental illness. Of General Anxiety Disorder, of recurring Major Depressive Disorder, of Dermatillomania, of Dysphoric Emotional Dysregulation Disorder, of all the things that make up the inner anxious working of my mind.

Keep reading to learn more about a student’s experience with the above mental illnesses. Her journey may even speak hope and healing into your own.

Grief. It’s not a pretty word, which is good considering the concept is so far from beautiful.

Keep reading to learn more about one student’s experience with grief. It may relate to your journey and/or help you to be there for others who have a similar experience.

Let’s be honest – every single one of us has picked a scab or a hangnail at some point in our lives. It’s not unusual to be curious and pick at something on your skin. But have you ever had a moment where you stopped and realized that you had been picking at your skin or nails for an extended period of time without even knowing it?

Keep reading to learn more about dermatillomania, a soul-sucking skin picking disorder, and how it affects the life of at least one TFC student.

Anxiety and depression. Isn’t it funny how two words that shouldn’t fit are so constantly intertwined? I mean, you think about the two of them like they are completely different concepts.

Keep reading to learn more about one student’s personal experience with anxiety and depression. It may even resonate with your journey!

​Are you feeling stress or anxiety and you do not know how to manage it? Do not worry, Amy L. Marshall, our licensed clinical social worker and Director of Counseling Services at Toccoa Falls College, gave us six different tips of how to manage stress that we want to share with you.

October is mental health awareness month. At The Talon, we want to take steps in raising awareness and providing support for those who struggle with mental health.