The Order of Omega and the National Alliance on Mental Illness on Campus at NC State hosted You are Not Alone — Tackling the Stigma of Mental Illness and discussed changing the conversation of mental illness with about 200 students Monday at the Mountains-Piedmont Ballroom in Talley Student Union.
The event featured a keynote speaker, a panel of various individuals on campus and assistant director of outreach for the Counseling Center.
The event was inspired by member of Order of Omega and Delta Sigma Phi, Jean-Luc Banks’ Facebook article titled “An Open Note to Those Considering Suicide,” about his struggle with depression, which gained much publicity when it was shared on social media. Banks then sought to create a mental health awareness event.
“Mental health issues are always present, on college campuses and here at NC State,” said Mary Chamblee, vice president of programming for Order of Omega. “It’s important for NC State students to understand what they or a friend might be going through and what their resources are.”
The event began with a powerful video titled #StopTheStigma with NC State students sharing their personal struggles with mental illness.
“It’s not just easy to come up to someone and say ‘I want to kill myself. I want to die,’” said Claudia McDonald, a sophomore studying management.
Following the video, Barry Bryant, executive director of Hopeline, a crisis call center, shared his personal struggles of the hopelessness and burden he felt when his nephew committed suicide six months before graduating law school.
“We have to create that comfort zone for people to speak freely,” Banks said.
According to Banks, 1,100 students die because of suicide on college campuses each year.
Following the keynote speaker, the panel of judges spoke on the importance of asking the right questions, genuinely listening and doing what you can to stop the stigma of mental illness. They also shared some of their personal experiences.
“I had people in my life that did ask the questions,” said Daniel Goldstein, a licensed clinical social worker from the Counseling Center and a panelist who spoke on his experience with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Banks said he received many positive responses to his article from other people who were struggling or people who wanted to help friends who were struggling.
The panel then took a few minutes to answer questions from the audience. When asked what the biggest mental health challenges on campus were, many panelists said feeling inadequate, not feeling OK, feeling anxious about the future and relationship concerns.
“We live in a culture where it’s not OK to not be OK,” Goldstein said.
Associate Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Chris Jefferson addressed the expectations many students, especially those involved with Fraternity and Sorority Life, think they must meet.
Many students feel like they have to “live up to perceived expectations to look or certain way or to exude a certain character,” Jefferson said.
The panel then discussed ways that the NC State community can “ask the right questions.”
When asking someone if they’re OK, “it’s following up and saying ‘Are you really OK?’” said Justine Hollingshead, chief of staff for the office of the vice chancellor and dean for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs.
To stop the stigma, the panel agreed that the conversation surrounding mental health needs to be changed.
“We can change the language,” said Jamila Simpson, assistant dean for Diversity and Student Services. “Don’t say words like ‘man-up.’”
Elizabeth Nelson, assistant professor of communication, also emphasized the role professors can play in creating this environment. Students should be able to “be who they are and where they are in classroom spaces,” she said.
The panel stressed the importance of treating mental health like all other illnesses of the human condition.
“You don’t have to apologize for your feelings,” Jefferson said. “Emotions are a part of the human condition.”
Following the panel, Angel Bowers, assistant director of Outreach for the Counseling Center, discussed resources available on campus. These include individual and couple groups, care for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, relationship concerns and eating disorders, psychiatry and medication management, drop-in groups and others. She also noted that there is a counselor on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
When Bowers asked students why they were hesitant to visit the Counseling Center, they said “counseling is for crazy people.” However, she quickly refuted this claim.
“I can’t think of anything less crazy,” Bowers said.
When students are struggling, they reach out to the people beside them, which is why it’s important for students to be aware of the resources available to them, according to Bowers.
“I am hoping that somehow this event sparks conversation,” Chamblee said. “Conversations surrounding mental health are not always easy ones. They can be hard conversations to have, but they are necessary ones. The more we talk about, the more we can de-stigmatize it.”
