So, per usual, I found myself on a Saturday night with the most extreme case of senioritis: browsing Netflix, trying to find anything interesting to give me an excuse to put off my homework for just a little longer.

I ended up watching shows on TLC and A&E — the ones about people who’ve found themselves hitting rock bottom and coping with extreme OCD, obesity or substance abuse issues by receiving mental health care. For the first time in their lives, these people were starting to deal with issues that stemmed from their adolescence.

It got me thinking about how many people in their early 20s are dealing with issues they probably won’t be able to completely fix without some sort of mental health care. I mean, almost 20 percent of American adults suffer from some kind of mental illness, including anxiety and depression. And in 2011, about 30 percent of college students said depression hindered their daily lives.

So why don’t more people seek mental health care?

There’s this stigma attached to seeing a psychiatrist. Like if you admit your mind isn’t healthy you’ve somehow failed as a person.

Why does this exist?

Well, obviously I don’t know the complete answer, but I have some ideas. Maybe it’s because anytime someone needs mental health care they are the ones who have to seek it. It can feel like an admission of weakness, and maybe some people are too stubborn to ask for help.

Maybe we need to start viewing our minds as we view our bodies. When we have a cold or flu or break our bones we go to the doctor to get fixed. Well, sometimes our minds get broken or sick too. We need to view our minds as something that should also get yearly checkups.

Or, think about it this way: Problems such as substance abuse and unhealthy eating habits affect our physical health, right? A lot of these concerns stem from mental health issues. We go to the gym to stay healthy and stay in shape; maybe we should add mental health checkups to our routines to protect our physical health.

I know when I applied to this university I had to get a physical, amontg other tests. What if universities started requiring mental health evaluations? We have to meet with our advisors every semester to sign up for classes. What if we were required to make an appointment with the mental health center too? I think at least it would help reduce the stigma of getting a brain checkup. It might give students a chance to receive care they would never have gotten otherwise.

On that note, what happens to the students who’ve been receiving mental health care throughout college who are about to graduate? Going to see a therapist isn’t cheap. It seems a little ridiculous to me you can walk into an urgent care clinic or emergency room any time of the day or night if you’re sick, but need a large paycheck to get your head checked out.

It’s just sad to think about people who genuinely need this care and seek it out not being able to afford it. I know a lot of people our age dealing with depression or anxiety. Some of them do find and are able to afford mental health care and express its benefits. Others, however, don’t see it as an option or simply can’t pay for it. Until our views about mental health issues change, the system surrounding it isn’t going to change either.

Let’s start focusing on getting our brains healthy and happy along with our bodies. Let’s push to make this an affordable and acceptable option for everyone.