Category Archives: Active Minds

I believe that mental and physical health are equally important. The non-profit organization and website Active Minds founded by Alison Malmon, sheds some light towards mental health and mental illness. I am deeply saddened to read the section called ‘Our Story’. At times we cannot physically tell if a person is going through any mood or anxiety disorders. Active Minds is a good website for getting involved in mental health advocacy through its campus chapters. In addition, there are many resources on this website for people that need help or what to do when you see someone you care about in distress. We need to get rid of the stigma surrounding mental illness, and this organization is a good step towards that.

What I found most interesting about Active Minds is that its an organization for college students to help each other out and be there to empower one another while on stressful times or with a mental disorder. I think this is a great way to help because some people feel embarrassed by there situation and feel outcast  by it, and it should not be that way. I just started learning about  a disorder myself and it is because my sister was diagnosed with Anxiety. I try to help with what I can and try to understand but this organization could really benefit my sister in a way she could meet other people that have Anxiety and could learn ideas to cope with it. I also found interesting how Active Minds started on the basis of someone committing suicide because of not having the right mechanisms to cope with the disorder.

I was surprised to find out that according to a study conducted by the American College Health Association, “nearly half of all college students reported having felt so depressed in the past year they could not function. As a nursing student, i attended a mental support group meeting and met a client who first developed depression as a college student. The young woman brought up several times the way friends and even some family members felt about her, fearful attitudes often being shown through their irregular actions. One can imagine the impact the fearful friends and family had on her during the time she needed support. All in all, she dealt with her illness by using cocaine, a choice that led to her dropping out of college as a result of failing too many classes. The importance of Active Minds work on college campuses in regards to education about mental health can not be overemphasized. If a young woman in the mental group support wouldn’t face attitudes like stigma, avoidance, or fear and be directed by her friends or family how to get a professional help instead, her story could have been different.

Active minds is an organization that promote and raise awareness for mental illness. A lot of people prioritize physical health over mental health because physical health or changes can be seen by people, but mental illness is more personal and an internal issue that deal with one’s self. Being educated with more knowledge on the topic of mental illness can help or prevent from harming one’s self. The topic of mental illness has been discreet and people are reluctant to discuss with others because they fear of prejudice that will follow. The Active Mind organization is a place where they will help over come challenges as a group that support each other and allow people to voice their concerns and problems that they are facing. Active Minds has helped many people across the nation and will continue to do so in the future. I like their message of unity and support for people who struggle with mental issue that they are not facing it a lone.

I have never thought about Active Minds until I had to check their website out.  I was surprised to see how courageous the founder was. It has never been easy to overcome depression and mental health issues especially when it is brought by the loss of a family member. Furthermore, I see how Active Minds has evolved over the past decade to become the voice of young adult mental health advocacy nationwide with over 400 campus chapters, hundreds of thousands of young adults all across the country beneficiating from the Active minds model (according to CNN, NYTimes). I also feel that it is vital to have a better idea on how to manage not only the physical aspect of the body, but also the mind, because they both work together.