Counseling and Testing Center holds Mental Illness Awareness Week
Counseling and Testing Center holds Mental Illness Awareness Week
The Counseling and Testing Center held Mental Illness Awareness Week October 7 to 13, 2012, for the University and surrounding community.
During the week, the participants received an overview of mental illness by being exposed to Web sites, such as www.nami.org/miaw , www.nimh.gov and www.choicesinrecovery.com and MS Department of Mental Health material that reads “Mental illness is a brain disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thinking, perception and behavior resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines. It is a health condition just like diabetes or asthma. People with mental illness often exhibit behaviors like extreme sadness and irritability, and, in more severe cases, may also suffer from hallucinations and total withdrawal. Most families are not prepared to cope with learning that a loved one has a mental illness. It can be physically and emotionally difficult and make them feel vulnerable to the opinions and judgments of others. Some of the barriers to seeking help are misconceptions and stereotypes we have of mental illness and mental healthcare.”
According to the Director of Counseling and Testing, Mrs. Dyann Moses, “It is extremely important that we get the word out that mental illness is an illness like any other. We need to remove the stigma associated with mental illness and let others know that help is available.”
On October 9 an informational booth was set up in the lobby of the Dr. Clinton Bristow Jr. Dining Facility distributing mental health materials, and on October 11, approximately 65 students, faculty, staff and people from the local community participated in an organized walk on campus displaying signs of different types of mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, schizophrenia, phobias and suicide.
Mrs. Moses added, “Mental illness can affect us all. Therefore, we must provide support and continuity of care to those who have been diagnosed with a mental illness or portraying symptoms of a mental illness.”
