After the glow of the full moon and Valentine’s Day weekend, there’s no denying the certain spring-in-your-step attitude that graces the students this week. Candy is 75 percent off and those stuffed animals your roommate didn’t want are sitting on your dresser now.
However, while Valentine’s Day is amazing and full of love, a lot of us forget how important it is to continuously share that love amongst our peers even after the holiday is through.
More often than not, it is very taboo to talk about mental illness in conversation. It is a heavy topic of conversation, and many of us are not as well-educated on the subject matter as we should be. There is a lot of stigma that surrounds mental illness; we shy away from those that are slightly different from us.
Organizations like National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, “work to educate and advocate mental health topics on campus while reducing the stigma associated with mental illness,” additionally providing “support to those students who are dealing with mental illness themselves or who have friends or family that are dealing with mental illness.”
This year, NAMI on Campus FSU is hosting the Alive! Mental Health Fair on Thursday, February 20th. This event wouldn’t have been possible if e-board member, Roxy Vaught, hadn’t stumbled upon the Mental Health Fair a year ago. She decided that it was necessary for something of this magnitude to be brought to campus, she pitched the idea to the other NAMI members, and they worked hard to make this dream a reality.
Maria Del Mar Losada, FSU student, graduating senior and NAMI on Campus treasurer, spoke to me about the Alive! Mental Health fair. The fair is inspired by FSU alum Kristen Brooks. After tragically taking her own life in April of 1998, her husband, Reese Butler, devoted 11 years and counting to ensure that people experiencing the kind of depression or difficulties that his wife went through appropriately receive help.
Butler created the Kristen Books Hope Center and the National Hopeline Network 1-800-SUICIDE as a way to create an outlet for those going through troubled times. They work to save lives around the clock, and the Alive! Mental Health Fair has been one of their most successful outreach programs.
There will be a multitude of events planned for students to come involve themselves in learning, exhibiting, and releasing their fears and stigmas with mental illness.
Says Losada, “There will be an Art Therapy activity that will consist of bringing a giant canvas to the Union Green and allowing students to create their own art expression through graffiti.” There will be a screening of an award-winning documentary “A Reason to Live,” a compelling first-hand recount as to how young adults are dealing with the very real issue of suicide, and what crisis interventionists are doing to help. Also, expect to see booths modeled after “Post Secret” where students and faculty can share their secrets or messages for others anonymously. Another activity that will be present is the Comparative Brain Exhibit which will showcase MRI, fMRI, and PET scan comparisons of healthy brains to ones affected by depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia.
Noles CARE, a recognized student organization, will be giving a suicide prevention lesson led by Jori Collette designed to teach students different ways to ask a friend or a loved one if they are suicidal, how to persuade them to get help, and most importantly, where to find those resources.
There will be food, activities, raffles, and students organizations, such as Her Campus FSU, Amnesty International, Healthy Noles, RENEW, Ribbons For A Cause, and the University Counseling Center, showing their support for this highly important cause.
Please come out to this event and bring your friends. It will serve to inform, educate, and challenge you to face the stigma of mental health and illness. It is important for all of us to understand that love goes a long way, and we can all spread it in little ways, every single day.
The event will be held on the Union Green, February 20th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.