Active Minds: Supporting Mental Health on Campus
by Derrick Kranke, Doctoral Student; Caroline Richards, Masters Student; and Dr. Jerry Floersch, Professor, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Over four million students have not completed college because of mental health concerns. There is a growing need for college students to learn about and understand mental illness without feeling shame, fear, embarrassment or loneliness. Understanding mental illness and how it affects campus life could help students to finish college. Due to the growing need of support systems for college students with mental health concerns, Case students are forming a campus chapter of Active Minds on Campus.
Active Minds on Campus is a non-profit organization which develops and supports chapters nationwide across college campuses to reduce the stigma of mental illness and to serve as a link and resource for all young adult mental health advocates.
Did you know?
- Young adults aged 18-24 have the highest prevalence of diagnosable forms of mental illness in the whole population at 27 percent.
- Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for college students.
- 95 percent of college students who commit suicide suffer from a mental illness, usually depression. If depressed, substance abuse, anxiety, impulsivity, rage, hopelessness and desperation increase the risk.
- 1 out of every 12 college students has made a suicide plan.
- 17 percent of college students practice self-injurious behavior.
- Half of all adults with depression report onset before age 20.
- 75 percent of people with schizophrenia develop the disease between the ages of 15-25.
- Researchers estimate that 20-30 percent of college-aged women may display bulimic behavior.
Active Minds on Campus is a peer-to-peer organization dedicated to the mental health of college students. It is created to de-stigmatize mental illness by promoting open, enlightened discussion of mental health issues and to create a better life for all who suffer. The purpose of the group is to capitalize on the energy and dedication of young adults in the fight against the stigma that surrounds mental illness, and to educate, enlighten, and empower all young adults to ensure their own mental health before it ever reaches a tragic stage.
Our Mission:
- Increase awareness of mental health issues
- Provide information and resources regarding mental health and mental illness
- Encourage students to seek help as soon as it is needed
- Serve as a liaison between students and the mental health community
By planning campuswide events that promote awareness and education, we hope to remove the stigma that surrounds mental illness and create a comfortable environment for open discussion of mental health issues.
Our Guiding Values:
Active Minds on Campus believes that all young adults have the right to understand their own minds. We know that mental illnesses are real medical illnesses that are nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to be kept secret. We understand the value of taking care of one's own, and watching out for one's friends' mental health and seeking help as soon as it is needed. We believe in the power of peer advocacy, and the strength that young adults have to break down the walls of silence and the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
If you are interested in assisting with the startup of this organization, please send an e-mail to activeminds@case.edu. All undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to participate. Look for Active Minds materials and events when you return in the fall of 2007.