By Susan Gao

Three members of Active Minds facilitated a conversation Friday about mental health on campus. Several students, faculty and staff participated in the session.

Emily Lovejov and Danielle Marinucci started the conversation with an ice breaker: they asked what thoughts come to mind when people think of “mental illness and mental health”. Immediately, participants came up with several words, such as stress, tears, alone, diagnosis and medication

One staff member said that mental “illness” is the term used when their mental health impairs their ability to function in their social or work life.

When questioned how mental illness classifies as a diversity issue, most participants came to the agreement that mental illness is a label that connotes a negative image. The image often affects how a person will be perceived by peers.

“Based on the scale where you fall on mental illness, you can be treated differently,” one participant said.

The question of why mental illness has become a social taboo was also raised.

“Mental illness is weakness,” a participant said. The participant explained that mental illness is perceived as weakness especially by Bryn Mawr women, who “are associated with independence and self-governance”.

“It is not only harder here,” said a participant. "It’s harder in general.“

Other issues such as fear of judgment and shame were also brought up as factors that constitute mental illness as social taboo.

One participant who had previously suffered from mental illness shared her experience after the event.

“As a freshman, I was very homesick,” she said. “I was depressed and very anxious about my work. I thought the problem was Bryn Mawr itself at the beginning, but I realized [the real problem] was being at Bryn Mawr and having all these horrible feelings.”

The participant explained she felt there were two things one can usually change, oneself or the environment.

“I decided to change a little bit of both to reach a balance,” said the participant. She also noted that feeling homesick and being stressed is a common experience that many can have, and it is important to share about the problem with other people, such as friends, a dean, a professor or a counselor.

As a resolution to the stressful environment of Bryn Mawr, many participants proposed fostering smaller communities to build a mutually supportive environment. For example, the relations between sister classes can be a great way for students to bond and share problems with upperclassmen who may have had similar experiences.

Students also have the option of going to the counseling center, where they talk about any problems or experiences they are going through. All information will be kept confidential from staff or personnel, including the health center.

Another phenomenon noted about the Bryn Mawr campus is that although there are many resources to help students, students don’t utilize these resources unless they are in severe stages of a mental illness.

“We don’t think of asking help as a courage act,” one student observed.

The conversation concluded with the following advice: “Be courageous, ask for help”

Lovejoy, Marinucci, and Noon are part of Active Minds, student mental health advocacy group that meets Wednesday nights in the Pembroke West common room at 9 p.m.
 

Related articles

• Facing Mental Illness at BMC
• Active Minds Embraces Mental Illness
• Mental Ilness Stigmas Must Be Overcome in the Bi-Co
• Diversity Conversations Return to BMC with Changes
• BMC Counseling Services to Start ‘Surviving Families’ Discussion Group
• Bryn Mawr Active Minds Looks to End Stigma
• Active Minds Brings ‘Day Without Stigma’ To BMC
• BMC Should Offer Free Care
• Active Minds Reacts to Comment in UPenn Paper
• Avoiding the Swine Flu at Haverford