Mental health is very important to me.
Does that sentence surprise you? Most of us can agree that mental health is something we should care about, but is it really that important? Considering that one in four Americans over 18 are affected by mental illness in a given year (World Health Organization), mental health is an extremely important issue. And yet, though psychological illnesses are widespread, you’d be hard-pressed to find a mental health awareness marathon or clothing and accessories emblazoned with support for those affected. The issue is too often ignored.
Fortunately, there’s a club on campus who’s starting a conversation about mental health: Active Minds. Active Minds, now a nation-wide non-profit organization, was originally a club started by college student Alison Malmon. Alison’s brother, also a college student, dealt with depression and psychosis for years before ending his life in 2000. Alison felt there was no outlet at the University of Pennsylvania to talk about mental illness and its effects on communities, so she created Active Minds with the intent of opening a discussion about the importance of mental health and reducing the stigma around mental illness.
Within years, Alison’s message spread from campus to campus and today, an Active Minds chapter exists in more than 400 college campuses, including Cal Poly and Cuesta.
This year, Active Minds Cal Poly has big plans. The club just wrapped up the community art project known as PostSecretU in which students anonymously submit personal experiences and art in the form of a postcard. PostSecretU is a collaboration between the Active Minds organization and Frank Warren’s famous online community/art project, PostSecret. The collection of student-created postcards will be displayed on campus this quarter. The club plans to bring a speaker to Chumash Auditorium fall quarter to lecture on experiences with psychological illness and how to create a positive atmosphere in the campus community.
Though Active Minds Cal Poly is a relatively small club, it’s growing. Many people have become members this school year, including me. I asked two fellow new members, Computer Science grad student Ryan Staab and Psychology freshman Sydney Vann Hoose, why they joined Active Minds.
“I was drawn to Active Minds because of my family’s and my own experiences with mental illness. I think people underestimate how much our mental health affects us,” Van Hoose said. “We don’t like to talk about it but it’s ironically so critical to talk about and make a priority in our lives.”
Staab likes the fact that Active Minds was created by students for students.
“Many students face difficulties with mental health, yet it’s so hard to talk about and get help for some students, and worse yet, some students aren’t even aware that help is available,” he said. “Active Minds works to change that by getting students involved to help one another and spread awareness.”
I too joined Active Minds because of my friends and family members who have dealt with mental illness. What saddens me is how reluctant some of my friends are to speak up about their problems, instead trying to hide them. At times I worried that my friends were not confiding in me because they did not trust me, but I realized that they kept silent because too often in our society, struggling with mental health is seen as a weakness or something to be ashamed of. For the sake of creating a healthier and happier world, mental health needs to be eliminated from the list of taboo topics.
As more students participate in Active Minds and the club becomes more active on campus, I believe we can reduce the stigma against mental illness here at Cal Poly.
If you want to talk to someone about problems you’re experiencing, from school stress or a break-up to depression, visit the Cal Poly Counseling Center or P.U.L.S.E.’s office, both located in the Health Center.