Depression can feel like staring down from the top of a precipice, said Wei Wu ’14, speaking in a student panel on anxiety and mental illness Thursday evening. Asking for help early, she said, is key.
At the panel, four students shared personal stories of anxiety, depression and the stigmas associated with mental illness. The event, hosted by Active Minds, was designed to increase awareness of mental illness at Dartmouth by providing a forum for students to talk about often-unvoiced problems.
Active Minds member Jake Donehey ’17, who organized the panel, said that the panel aimed to give audience members an improved understanding of the multiple dimensions of mental illness, as well as an increased interest in conversing about the issue.
The panelists brought varied perspectives, Donehey said.
“Each speaker had their own unique perspective, so I just hope that this had a meaningful impact on how people talk about mental health,” he said.
At the event, panelist Amara Ihionu ’17 said it was difficult for her family members to accept and understand that she had mental health problems. At Dartmouth, she has used counseling services at Dick’s House, and she said she found her undergraduate advisor extremely supportive.
Ihionu said she hopes attendees realize that mental illness is more common than they might think, adding discussing mental illness allows people to feel more comfortable seeking help.
“Just talking about it is a step forward to actively deconstructing that stigma,” she said. “I want people to know that all your feelings are completely valid, and whatever people tell you doesn’t change what and how you feel in a certain moment.”
Wu shared her experience regarding a prolonged depressive episode she experienced her sophomore and junior years of college. She has since studied and written extensively about mental illness, and she said that attendees should understand that while depression can happen to everyone, there is always a way out of it.
She said that even though she is technically out of her depressive episode, the disease is a long-term condition that must be constantly managed.
“What I learned during my depression is that you need to take care of yourself and believe in yourself and forgive yourself,” she said.
Kari Jo Grant, who has advised Active Minds at the College for six years, said mental health and stress-related issues in young adults are a national phenomenon.
Still, she said, she has noticed a prevailing attitude on campus that students must be happy and love Dartmouth at all times, which can make acknowledging feelings of depression and anxiety difficult.
“It’s self-perpetuated,” Grant said. “That feeling of hopelessness and helplessness, I think, is particularly hard at places like this, where there is this perception that one should always be proud and accomplished and all that.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 has a diagnosable mental illness, and the number one reason that students do not seek help is concern of stigma.
Active Minds recruited student panelists through a campus-wide email, then followed up with an application for interested speakers. About 30 people expressed interest, and seven whose schedules worked with the event’s timing applied, Donehey said.
Several members of the audience expressed admiration for the panelists.
Younji Lee ’17 said she thought the panelists were brave for sharing their personal stories.
Active Minds is a national student organization promoting mental health awareness and advocacy. Dartmouth’s chapter holds panels and hosts speakers on various mental health-related topics, in addition to film discussions and stress-relief nights.
The forum was held in Collis 101 at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
The article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction appended: February 8, 2014
The original version of this article said that Kari Jo Grant is the College's health education programs coordinator, which is not correct. Grant left this position in summer 2012. The reference to this title has been removed.
