Active Minds in the Media
Recovery Month inspires hope, sparks conversation
Tatyana White-Jenkins, Broadside, September 22, 2015
According to SAMSHA, an estimated 7.7 million adults ages 18 and older had co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders in 2013. Emily Swain, president of Active Minds, was eager to get involved in Recovery Month because of the link between mental health and substance abuse. "Oftentimes, there is a relationship between mental illness and addiction,” said Swain. “Mental illness can cause or heighten dependence on substances and substance abuse can often heighten or cause new symptoms of an individual’s illness. Addiction and mental illness often face overlapping issues of stigma.”
GMU backpacks to send suicide silence packing
David Culver, NBC News 4, September 10, 2014
Hundreds of backpacks displaying one powerful message on the George Mason Fairfax Campus today. They sit, untouched, as a reminder of the young lives lost by suicide each year. On #News4 at 5, News4’s David Culver is talking about how the push to raise awareness is helping others get the mental health support they need. #WeAreChangingMinds.
GMU backpacks to send suicide silence packing
Kathy Stewart, WTOP, September 7, 2014
Wednesday, Sept. 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, and a powerful traveling exhibit will kick off a fall tour with its first stop at Virginia's George Mason University.
Each year, 1,100 students die by committing suicide; the visually powerful exhibit will drive home the scope and seriousness of this issue plaguing college campuses nationwide.
George Mason University hosts national suicide prevention campaign
Kate Yanchulis, Fairfax Times, September 5, 2014
For World Suicide Prevention Day on Wednesday, George Mason University in Fairfax will host a national awareness campaign to open up a community conversation on mental health.
The traveling exhibit Send Silence Packing features 1,100 backpacks, representing the number of college students who die by suicide each year. The event will be co-hosted by the university’s counseling services department and its chapter of Active Minds, a nonprofit dedicated to student mental health.
PostSecretU promotes a nurturing honesty within Mason community
Tatyana White-Jenkins, IVth Estate, April 23, 2014
“It is a step towards creating a community where mental health is not so stigmatized and where people with mental health issues do not feel ashamed about being open about themselves,” said Swain. “By talking about our mental health, by talking about our problems, we take a step away from the power they hold over us.”
20 Things More Important Than How You Look
Jared Wolf, BuzzFeed Community, February 26, 2014
February 23 to March 1 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Around the country, members of campus mental health advocacy group Active Minds, Inc. are raising awareness through a photo campaign called “My Best Feature.” Here are just a few of the features that members of the Ithaca College, George Mason University, Cerritos College, and UCLA communities are celebrating this week.
The Media and Eating Disorders: A Link to be Reexamined
Melissa Simkol, The Psyche, February 24, 2014
This week, February 23rd through March 1st, is National Eating Disorders Week. More often than not, this means one can expect to be bombarded with messages encouraging women (and men) of all shapes and sizes to love and accept their bodies and to reject the unrealistic beauty standards that are heavily promoted by the media. While promoting positive body image is certainly a good cause, it isn’t right to equate it with eating disorder awareness and prevention.
OPINION: The problematic stigma associated with mental illness
Melissa Simkol, IVth Estate, October 8, 2013
Think back to a time in your life when you were emotionally distressed. Maybe your romantic partner broke up with you, or maybe you were the subject of nasty rumors or bullying; maybe you were having trouble coming up with money to pay your tuition only a month before the deadline. What sort of emotions were you experiencing then? Were you sad, angry or did you feel lonely, helpless, hopeless? If so, what played the biggest role in helping you through that difficult period?
Photo of Active Minds' "What Would a Friend Say?" Event
Amy Rose, IVth Estate, September 16, 2013
In recognition of Suicide Prevention Week, Active Minds hosted "What Would a Friend Say?" in the Johnson Center. Students could share their thoughts by writing on the table.
Active Minds Plays Pivotal Role in White House Conference on Mental Health
Dianna Dauber, Active Minds Press Release, June 2013
On June 3, 2013, Active Minds participated in the historic National Conference on Mental Health hosted by President Obama and Vice President Biden at the White House. The conference was part of the Administration’s bold effort to launch a national conversation to increase understanding about mental health and bring these issues out of the shadows. The conference was streamed in real-time from www.whitehouse.gov.
Active Minds speaker shares personal struggles
Ryan Weisser, Broadside, April 23rd, 2013
Maggie Bertram was in college not too long ago. She was valedictorian of the small Illinois high school she attended, and she went to college at a small Illinois university.
People knew Bertram as an athlete, intelligent and someone on her way to fulfill the dreams and goals that were laid out for her.
"I came off as ‘put together.’ I was the person people came to when people needed help. I never thought about what I would like to do,” Bertram said.
Public Confessions Provide Emotional and Mental Outlet
Niki Papadogiannakis, Broadside, December 2012
Walking through the Johnson Center, senior Mahmoud Sarhan was drawn to a single word: secret.
"Just the word secret entices curiousity," Sarhan said.
His curiousity led him to Active Mind's PostSecretU event. The event displayed postcards of secrets that students decided to share anonymously. They were featured in the Johnson Center from Monday, Nov 26 to Friday, Nov 30.
Mason's Psychological Counseling Program Awarded Prestigious Grant
Evan Petchke, Broadside, November 12, 2012
Mason's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) recently received a $306,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The grant, which will be distrubuted over the course of three years, aims to aid in spreading the availability of suicide prevention tactics.
PostSecretU gives students a chance to share
Audrey Mattaino, Connect2Mason, November 8, 2012
PostSecretU, a public art project hosted by Mason's Active Minds, will allow students to spill their secrets anonymously in a creative way.
Starting Nov. 12, students can pick up postcards from the Active Minds kiosk in the JC, Counseling and Psychological Services, Sexual Assault Services and the neighborhood desks. According to the event's Facebook page, students can decorate the postcards with “secrets, regrets, fears, desires, hopes, dreams, hidden acts of kindness, talents and confessions.”
Changing the Conversation on Mental Health
Vicki Fisher, Broadside, October 22, 2012
The Mason chapter of a national organization called Active Minds will be hosting a fundraiser on Oct. 22 from 6-10 at Josie’s at University Mall to support their efforts against reducing the stigma against students suffering from mental illnesses.