While some students attempt to tackle both school activities and jobs, some may find themselves sacrificing or ignoring their mental wellbeing for the pursuit of better grades and opportunities.
Barrett, the Honors College will be addressing mental health this week through a series of events that aim to reduce the stigma surrounding the issue and how students can manage any problems they might experience throughout the school year.
Barrett Mental Health Awareness Week is a new program established by Barrett, the Honors College, ASU Well Devils BWell and the Mental Health Awareness Board. It features activities ranging from meditation through drumming to climbing “A” Mountain, and even yoga, with an event titled “Om at the Dome” which will consist of students getting physically active to release stress.
Dawn Rendell, the assistant dean for students at Barrett, the Honors College, said the idea for Barrett Mental Health Awareness week developed from a previous committee she had created last semester, the Mental Health Advisory Board.
“Students talked about wanting to have to more visible access to mental health,” Rendell said. “We wanted it to be student-led — it’s powerful with peer to peer message.”
Rendell, who did her dissertation on stress with college-aged students, said the topic of mental health issues on campus was not a foreign concept to her.
“Why is this generation so overwhelmed? How do we develop skills to cope?” Rendell said. “Mental health is a national issue, not just specific to ASU.”
Barrett Associate Dean for Students Kristen Hermann said Barrett wants to create an open conversation about mental health awareness on campus to help students.
"We have been very proactive over the years in making this topic a top priority," Hermann wrote in an email.
Well Devils Barrett Ambassador Brianna Farrier, a psychology sophomore, has been one of the planners for Mental Health Awareness Week. She said, in addition to being on the Mental Health Advisory Board at Barrett, she has also committed herself to spreading awareness about mental illness at ASU.
“Since we had the resources, we thought it would be a good way to get resources and lessen the stigma of mental disorders,” Farrier said. “We not only wanted to give people an outlook, but also raise awareness of it because it’s a big problem on college campuses that’s not really talked about.”
Farrier said physical health is also important when coping with mental health issues. Farrier, along with the Well Devils team and Mental Health Advisory Board, is organizing several physical activities for students during the week.
“We’re trying to keep it educational as well as give students things to do and tell students how exercise helps them stay physically healthy and mentally too,” Ferrier said. “We want to let students know it’s okay to have trouble and they have an open, caring environment and supportive community here.”
Related Links:
Downtown group holds march to raise mental health awareness
New mental health club launches at Downtown campus
Reach the reporter at sgreene6@asu.edu or follow @thesydneygreene on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
