Opinion
Speak Out makes strides against stigmas
By Caroline Harrington ’16, Maddy Maher ’18
November 13, 2015
As students who have struggled with mental illness throughout our lives, we have deeply felt the impacts of our struggles on our academic and social life here at Hamilton. Though we are aware that one in four people will struggle with mental illness at some point in their lives, we still feel incredibly isolated in our fights because talking about personal experiences and vulnerabilities is rare, especially in a high pressure, performance-focused collegiate environment. Furthermore, we found ourselves disappointed with the campus Counseling Center for their limited appointment hours and staff availability. Recently, one of these authors suffered through a particularly low point in her depression and sought the help of the Counseling Center, only to be deferred for two weeks. In a serious case, this extended wait could be the difference between life and death. We are lucky it has not come to that.
In times of emotional distress such as this, we often feel the extreme effects of the symptoms of depression, especially lack of motivation. On days where we feel so mentally and emotionally beat down that we physically cannot move from bed—and trust us, those days happen—we feel we cannot justify a mental health day. Calling in sick with the flu is acceptable and professors respond well to family circumstances, but illness of the mind is written off as weakness. Nobody would dare to tell a student with pneumonia that they have to “get over it.” We hide behind “fevers” and “the stomach bug” when panic attacks cause our hearts to race and depression nauseates us. We have lied about our reasons for being absent for fear of being judged. When will the stigma end? When will we be confronted with a society that says “it is okay you do not feel well, I understand, take your time”?
On Monday, Nov. 9th, the Hamilton College community took a huge step in fighting this stigma. The Minds for Change club, a group on campus that meets weekly with various students and Counseling Center personnel to discuss the ways in which mental health disorders impact the lives of college students, put on a brilliant Speak Out event in the Filius Events Barn. Several students shared their personal struggles with various mental illnesses, from anxiety to depression to self-harm to eating disorders, and encouraged their peers to feel comfortable expressing their struggles.
Whether the stories were casual and conversational, interactive and engaging or heartbreakingly poetic, they each proved equally powerful in their own way. By the end of the event, students from all walks of campus were empowered to stand in solidarity with one another and felt inspired to foster an environment in which all students, no matter their struggle, feel comfortable and supported.
It can be very isolating to suffer from mental illness, but these feelings of loneliness dissipated almost instantly when we walked into the Events Barn and saw a full house of students, some of whom we never would have expected to see at such an event, ready and willing to listen to and support their peers. We are not sure if it was the intimate atmosphere of the Events Barn, the deeply personal, honest nature of the subject matter or a combination of the two, but we feel profoundly changed by this event.
The Speak Out Event, and the Minds for Change Club as a whole, represent the incredible strides that Hamilton is making in the battle against mental health stigma. Between the expansion of the Health and Counseling Centers, the public endorsement of mental health support, and the increasing accessibility of on campus support, it seems that the school has finally begun to understand that well being extends far beyond physical limitations. With more events like these, we can say with confidence that the future of Hamilton College looks healthier, happier and brighter with every positive change.