Let’s Talk.
Tackling the mental health of emerging adults through awareness and education.
Mental Health
A state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to their community (World Health Organization).
VS.
Mental Illness
A condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and/or behavior (National Association on Mental Illness).
Mental Illness is a diagnosable medical illness (or condition).
Knowledge is Power.
Combating the Stigma:
There are a lot of misconceptions and misrepresentations of those suffering from mental illness. The way individuals understand those with mental illness versus the reality of what the person experiences is often drastically different and, as a result, there is a lot of stigma surrounding and felt by those suffering from mental illness. Here are some of the common misconceptions about mental illness and how to combat the stigma they’ve created…
#WORDSMATTER
What we say and how we talk about mental health matters. We need to reframe mental health stigmas and myths with facts. I always say, “think about if you had a mental illness and/or if someone you know and love has a mental illness… How would you want to be spoken about? How would you want to hear others talk about a friend, a parent, a roommate, a sibling, etc.?” How you think about and what you say about mental illness matters…
— Dr. Mary Beth Janke
How to Make Therapy WORK.
Deciding to seek therapy can be a big decision. Going to just anyone is not a good idea. Do your research – this is not a one-time engagement; this is you committing to working through whatever issue(s) you are experiencing…
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Emerging adulthood comes with many challenges, not to mention the current state of the world. The stress and pressure can feel overwhelming at times, but there are ways to manage and regain control of your life. Here are a few of the healthy coping mechanisms to master and unhealthy ones to avoid…
Short Reads to Broaden Your Perspective:
Forgiveness Can Improve Mental and Physical Health
by Kirsten WeirThis article discusses how forgiveness can have a significant impact on mental and physical health — reducing people's depression and anxiety levels, according to research by Everett Worthington. He and others have also done research showing that public education campaigns can increase forgiveness on college campuses.
How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity
by Dr. Travis BradberryResearch shows that most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation. Complaining is tempting because it feels good, but like many other things that are enjoyable — such as smoking or eating a pound of bacon for breakfast — complaining isn’t good for you.
I Just Wish I Was Normal
by Teresa ColonWhat is Normal Anyway? The idea of “normal” is probably one of the most toxic stigmas out there. When we stop and consider the real numbers, we know that “normal” doesn’t exist. Very few people go through their lives with perfect health. In reality, at some point in our lives, we all deal with a something, whether it’s a mental illness or a serious health issue…
Dude, Where’s My Frontal Cortex?
by Robert SapolskyThere’s a method to the madness of the teenage brain. Sapolsky explains why adolescents are so frustrating, great, asinine, impulsive, inspiring, destructive, self-destructive, selfless, selfish, impossible, and world changing. It’s the time of life of maximal risk taking, novelty seeking, and affiliation with peers. All because of that immature frontal cortex…
Check the Ongoing Research:
Healthy Minds Study
The Healthy Minds Study (HMS) is an annual web-based survey study examining mental health, service utilization, and related issues among undergraduate and graduate students. Since its national launch in 2007, HMS has been fielded at about 350 colleges and universities, with over 400,000 survey respondents.
Website: healthymindsnetwork.org
Center for Collegiate
Mental Health (CCMH) 2020 Annual Report
CCMH is a multidisciplinary, member-driven, Practice-Research-Network (PRN) focused on providing accurate and up-to-date information on the mental health of today’s college students. CCMH strives to connect practice, research, and technology to benefit students, mental health providers, administrators, researchers, and the public.
Website: ccmh.psu.edu
Foundational Research:
World Health Organization (WHO)
Mental disorders among college students in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys discusses the survey research and study conducted by the World Health Organization to determine the prevalence and persistence of mental disorders within the college demographic. This particular study is from 2016.
Website: who.int
Addressing the Big Three:
Stigma
Stigma. Stigma. Stigma. Say it three times so it doesn’t prompt an eye-roll, leave a bad taste in your mouth, or cause any panic. The stigma around mental health has significantly changed since the conversation first began, but the work isn’t done yet. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times—read the change, be the change, see the change. Here’s where to start…
Access to Care
Approximately 60% of people in the U.S. that are in need of mental health care don’t get it. Emerging adults experience significant mental health challenges so universities have a particular obligation to provide proper care. Access to mental health care isn’t as easy as it should be, but it also isn’t as unreachable as it may seem—you just have to know where to look…
COVID-19
2020 may be done and over but the effects of COVID-19 linger on. Mental health is one of the many victims of the pandemic. However, the effects haven’t been all bad—some very necessary and useful change has occurred over the past year as well. Here are some of the facts on how the pandemic and its drastic societal shift has affected mental health, in good ways and bad…
You are NOT a statistic.
Mental health is on a spectrum.
One story is not comparable to another.
Diagnoses and treatments vary by individual.
