This past week, Active Minds hosted Mental Health Awareness Week. Mental Health Awareness Week was a four-day event meant to stress the importance of creating an environment in which students could comfortably talk about and deal with various mental health issues.
“These events are especially important because in college, people deal with different issues like depression or anxiety,” said Maya Rao, vice president of Active Minds. “A lot of people don’t know what to do or what to look for until it becomes bad with a suicide attempt or a hospitalization.”
Active Minds is a national organization that focuses on changing the way mental health is talked about, particularly on college campuses.
The Saint Louis University chapter of Active Minds was started last year by alumnus, Amanda Textor. This year marks its first as a Chartered Student Organization, and Mental Health Awareness Week is its first major event.
Oct. 4 was National Day Without a Stigma. Active Minds set up a table by the clocktower with a poster for people to sign in order to show support and raise awareness of mental health issues. The goal was also to help erase the stigma that goes with mental health issues
On Oct. 5, Active Minds gave out information and literature in the Busch Student Center and handed out silver ribbons.
“The silver ribbon is actually a sign of brain health, but mental health is included in that, so this is really about overall mental health,” Rao said.
Active Minds held a panel discussion in the BSC on Oct. 6. The panel included people who have had experience with mental health issues, particularly in regards to family members and mental health professionals. The panel spoke about various mental health topics and allowed for the audience to ask questions.
The week wraps up with a Game and Card Making Night on Oct. 7.
The final event includes games and a chance to make friendly cards for psychiatric patients.
“Mental Health Awareness Week is important, as we need to create an environment that encourages students to seek help as soon as it is needed and so students also realize they are not alone,” Meredith Obsorn, a counselor from Student Health and Counseling Services and the adviser for Active Minds, said.
The SLU chapter of Active Minds is still a relatively small organization on campus, but it hopes to grow within the upcoming months.
“We are definitely trying to get our name out on campus,” Rao said.
“The more people know about mental health issues, the less stigma will surround them and the more people will be willing to talk about it,” Rao said.
