Mental Health Awareness Board
NACURH International Passive Program of the Month
Target Population: 1700
Time Needed to Organize: 2 weeks

Number of People in Attendance: 1700
Date of Program: May 2015

Number of People Needed to Organize: 4
Cost of Program: $0
  • Background
  • Goals and Purpose
  • Program Description
  • Evaluation
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Ever since 1949, May has been dedicated to Mental Health Awareness Month, for the purpose of raising awareness for mental health. Every year, millions of people in United States are affected by mental health related issues, and many of them are college-aged young adolescence. Due to stress from family, school and work, lots of students are affected by mental health but refuse to seek help due to stigma associated with mental health. Moreover, in Tunnel of Oppression, a diversity program dedicated to recognizing pressure and social justice issues that many students are going through in college, lots of student leaders expressed how they and their residents are affected by depression and suicide related problems. The Residence Life Intern for Revelle College saw this as the need to organize an event in support of mental health awareness month as well as providing resources for students. Therefore, we decided to dedicate our two bulletin boards for 1) emphasizing the importance of mental health and 2) identifying mental health issues and symptoms.
  1. Bringing awareness to mental health issues on residential communities
  2. Encouraging residents to be more mindful and sensitive to mental health-related issue,
  3. Educating residents on the subject of mental health
  4. Showing support for this awesome national campaign.
Mental health stigma is responsible for the lack of respect for mental health affected populations and shame people often feel when they realize that they need health. This passive program addresses this topic by providing solid statistics to show residents to not be afraid or ignorant. We also encourage residents to view mental health as their oral health, their physical health-something that everyone has and should be taking care of. We want to create a sense of responsibility among students to watch out for their own mental health as well as their friends, as well as to respect those who are affected by disorders. Lastly, we think it is important for us to stand as an ally for mental health population and organization, showing support and encouragement.
There are two portions of this passive program: mental health awareness board and mental health issue board.
  • Mental health awareness board is a board providing statistics- heavy information for the purpose of raising awareness and breaking down stigma associated with mental health. Lots of residents are under the impression that mental health is not a relevant problem for them because it only affects a small number of people, some people also do not seek for help due to misinformed advice and embarrassment. This broad contain statistics illustrating many people are going through this, how young adolescence in college is very vulnerable to mental health problems, how people often failed to receive assistance due to lack of access or knowledge and how mental health is something like our physical health that we need monitor and take care of. Mental health is defined as "emotional, psychological, and social well-being", and affecting "how we think, feel, and act [...] determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices". This definition is given as one of the central point of awareness board in order to educate residents to not be embarrassed when seeking help, or finding him/herself struggling.
  • Mental health issue board is a board comprise of information regarding six types of most common mental health problems on college campuses, which are: Depression, anxiety, Obsessive- Compulsive disorder, Schizophrenia, Eating disorder, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and addiction (substance abuse). Each disorder is explained and defined with the affected population percentage on U.S. college campuses. Symptoms and causes are provided for the hope that students can educate themselves on these issues and become more mindful about mental health.
Each bulletin board is a standard 48x56 board with solid color backgrounds. Information for the awareness board is downloaded via National Alliance on Mental Illness, with charts and graphs for a publicity effect. Information for mental health issue board was found on WebMD, each disorder is represented by a different color and font.
​This passive program created a lasting event by being present with the communities and continues to educate students. First and foremost, although mental health related assistance such as Counseling and Psychological Service and Student Health Service are provided for students, various reasons (such as long appointment waiting period and embarrassment of walking in) stands as some kind of barrier. Passive program is great at reducing this barrier as it stands out only as a board, people can stop by, give a glance, and walk away without feeling pressured. Its presence on our residential community also serve as a statement showing our supporting, bring up the conversation among students, and allowing the topic of mental health to be introduced and inserted in residents' daily life. It also provides comfort for those who are going through a hard time privately, allowing them to know that as Residence Life, we do care about your issue and your health is important to us.