SMU Events Encourage Campus Community to Learn Signs of Mental Illness
海角直播 (SMU) is observing Mental Illness Awareness Week on Oct. 4-10 with free mental health screenings and lunchtime workshops on how to attain better overall wellness.
The will hold its first in-person screening day on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The free and anonymous 鈥淐heck up from the Neck Up鈥 event is designed to screen for common signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mood disorders. Students are invited to drop in between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to fill out a brief written self-assessment and then meet privately with a mental health counselor.
鈥淥ur goal is to help raise awareness of the many common mental health concerns so we can connect our students if necess
ary with the free services we have available,鈥 said SMU staff psychologist Jeanne Zeamba.
Also planned are noontime presentations on techniques to gain a more relaxed mind and to motivate healthy behaviors through storytelling. 鈥淨uieting Your Mind: Learning Basic Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Skills鈥 will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at the Peralta Medical Office Building Room 4004, and 鈥淭丑别 Healing Power of Story鈥 will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at the Health Education Center in room 312. Download a copy of a PDF flyer here.
In 1990, Congress designated the first week of October as to raise awareness about the devastating effects of mental illness on people鈥檚 lives.
The theme of this year鈥檚 event is to erase the stigma associated with mental illness by encouraging people to learn about the signs of mental health problems, ask for help and address symptoms early. The is promoting the hashtag #IAmStigmaFree.
Nearly one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental illness in a given year, according to the (NIMH). And about 10 million Americans over the age of 18 suffers from a serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
Anxiety disorders 鈥 including post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and specific phobias 鈥 plague 18 percent of U.S. adults, but few are receiving minimally adequate treatment, according to the NIMH.
鈥淭丑别 at 海角直播 is helping students, staff and faculty be aware of the many different forms of mental illness out there and to reduce the stigma so we are able to talk about these issues among our community and our families,鈥 said Zeamba.
Photo: SHAC staff
