Be Well: World Mental Health Day

A post in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Day and all the people in our community who are affected.

The other day, I opened my inbox and found an email that contained the following message from John Stackhouse, the Senior VP, Office of the CEO at RBC.  If you are anything like me, you'll read it and be impacted.

Pretty much every campus across North America is dealing with a mental health challenge that’s threatening to become a crisis. And then there’s Penn. The Ivy League school has lost 14 students to suicide in the past six years, and recently announced its high-profile mental health administrator had taken his life, too. The death of Gregory Eells, a prominent mental health professional who Penn hired from Cornell, has shocked mental health advocates across the country. Suicide for all ages is on the rise, and is now the second-leading cause of death among Americans aged 10-34. According to the American College Health Association, the suicide rate among young adults, ages 15-24, has tripled since the 1950s, and appears to be rising even faster among millennials. Suicides among girls ages 15 to 19 doubled from 2007 to 2015; among teen boys it grew 30%. I spent Friday at McMaster University and Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, where administrators say mental health is quickly becoming one of their top challenges. The surge of international students is making it even more complex. At McMaster, the international student population has tripled in six years, and the university has not been able to keep pace with student services. Moreover, many of the foreign students come from countries where mental illness is taboo, and in Canada they don’t know how or where to seek help. International student enrolment surpassed 570,000 this year, growing 16% over last year—and triple what it was in 2008. Colleges and universities say they need foreign students and the higher tuition fees they pay, but many campuses didn’t budget for the burdens that those students carry. This Thursday, on World Mental Health Day, it may be worth reaching out to a student, and to those trying to support them. —John Stackhouse

Needless to say, I am instantly inspired by Mr. Stackhouse's commitment to this cause.

Over the years we have had several tragedies that have impacted our community, some relating specifically to mental health. and suicide  As a community, it is our responsibility and commitment to continue to focus on this incredibly important topic.

At Rundle, we continue to look for ways to create a culture of wellness.  Whether it is creating opportunities for staff to have great work conditions or resources for our students to access in the time of need; we continue to strive for the best environment we can.

This year's theme, 'Through the eyes of our students,' aims to reinforce the importance of empathy and understanding.  These values are the bedrock of a community that can support on another through good times and bad.

As I closed the day yesterday, I received a message from one of our alumni, Meg Buchanan.  She said something that will stay with me forever.

"Depression is a flaw in chemistry, not in character."

I do believe understanding, identifying and treating mental illness is among this generations biggest challenges... and the best part is I know they are up to it!

I would like to personally thank everybody in our community who continues to take up the charge and to live their own personal definition of wellness.  

This journey is far from a sprint, but I do believe our entire community is up to the marathon that is ahead.