By: Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor
On Monday Oct. 10, Western observed World Mental Health Awareness Day. In the Werner University Center, ASWOU had a booth to bring awareness to our campus about the stigma surrounding mental health. Their goal was to educate the masses by using trivia and pamphlets from the National Alliance on Mental Illness website. They printed out pamphlets on the most common mental illnesses that afflict Americans. The pamphlets state the facts below:
Obsessive compulsive disorder affects nearly 1 out of 40 people in the U.S.
Post Traumatic Stress disorder affects 3.5 percent of the of the U.S. adult population which is roughly 7.7 million people.
Self-harm or self-injury affects mostly teens and young adults which is a sign of emotional distress.
Schizophrenia affects 1 percent of Americans.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects nearly 9 percent of children between ages 3-17. Nearly 4 percent of adults are diagnosed with ADHD.
Anxiety disorders affect an estimated 40 million (18 percent) of adults and approximately 8 percent of children and teens.
Depression affects about 16 million (7 percent) of the U.S.
population. Young adults in the age range of 18-25 are 60 percent more likely to have depression than those above 50.
Eating disorders affect 1 in 20 people at some point in their lives.
The students of ASWOU would like to bring these facts to the attention of Western students, as well as support those who struggle with mental illness. ASWOU member Madison Harner, a junior international studies major, eagerly wanted students to know the resources that are available.
“We’re supporting our students on campus and I think it’s important that students here know what resources they have, like the Student Health and Counseling Center and what services they provide,” said Harner.
Max Norr, senior history major, is also a member of ASWOU, is trying to get this knowledge to all who are willing to listen.
“The goal is to educate as many people as possible and the more educated people become, the less stigmatized it will become, because they’ll understand more about about mental illnesses,” said Norr. “Just trying to get the information out and letting people know that one, they’re not alone, and two, there are real reasons behind mental illnesses. It’s about erasing the learned discrimination and the learned internalized feeling towards mental illnesses. If we can work towards educating people and erasing that stigma, that’s our goal achieved.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the very real affects of mental illness visit www.nami.org for more information.
Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
