Mental health is just as important as physical health. It’s not just a concept of being weak but rather, it is a concept of psychological and emotional well-being that needs to be in the spotlight more for people to better understand it. The stigma surrounding mental illness keeps people from getting the help they need to get better and causes them to hide their pain.  

Today many individuals including students face mental health crises because of academic pressure, peer or family problems, and even because of the pandemic. That is why in this episode, Dr. Gabiola and her co-host, Ms. Alyssa, were joined by eight students - brilliant minds who shared their insights and thoughts about mental health awareness and their personal experiences about this matter.

Learn from these amazing students about the importance of mental health awareness, different coping mechanisms, and strategies that you can apply, do’s and don’t whenever you are experiencing anxiety and depression, ways on how to break the stigma of mental health, and what you can do as an individual.

Jump right in to listen to this episode and remember that mental illness should not be something to be ashamed about or thought of differently. YOU are important, YOU are loved, and YOU got this!

Memorable Quotes:

• Since May 2020, on average, more than one in three adults in the United States has reported symptoms of anxiety and or a depressive disorder, compared to only one in ten adults reporting the same symptoms from before the pandemic in January to June of 2019. - Alyssa Sales
• One of the most important tools with mental health is having a support system. - Evan
• The mental health of resident physicians is really important because future doctors are just constantly stressed by this pandemic. - John Soy
• Leaders want to see change, but you also can take it within yourself to see what you can do and how you can be that change. - Jamie Albertson
• There's a cultural barrier to addressing mental health. - John Soy
• Self-isolation really impacts relationships with your friends and family. It's not combating issues, not combating anxiety, it's not combating depression because it's only enhancing it and feeding it. - John Soy
• Having a diary is really helpful because you can rant and let all of the thoughts that are in your head and write them out on paper. While is more of you take these thoughts and then you can categorize them into different thoughts and bring more awareness to it and being more mindful with it. - John Soy
• Being able to realize where you are with your own mental health and then finding something to be an outlet to help you grow and to help you come out of your own thought. - John Soy
•  Emotions are normal. Sadness is normal. Anxiety is normal. - John Soy
• One of the main stigmas of mental health is that it is a weakness. - Kate Williams
• Every person wants someone to speak out, remind them that they can see themselves in. - Kate Williams
• Continuing on this cycle of creating this pressure and creating a very unhealthy environment where mental health, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation can just grow because of the way the students see themselves to make academic success. - Kate Williams

About the Guests:

Alyssa Sales, the co-host for today’s episode, is a sophomore at  Columbia University whose multiracial background drives her to improve resources for the underserved and marginalized people through a dialogue on culture and tradition, and mental health.

Kate is a senior in high school and the president of ROCN, Reach Out Care Now, a mental health organization. She’s also the wellness commissioner for the student executive council. Danette Navalo or “Kata” is currently a sophomore attending Columbia University, majoring in Political Science and Ethnicity and Race studies. She creates social content that focuses on indigenous identity with a special emphasis on lifting other indigenous creators. Evan is a junior high school leader of the KUTO club, or Kids Under Twenty One, which deals with mental health awareness. John Soy is a resident physician at Stanford Hospital. He got his master's degree in Molecular Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, and currently, he is studying Psychiatry. Jamie Albertson is a student educator and activist in the Bay area. And Sophia is a junior at Lynbrook High School and she’s part of Lynbrook Alafia, a student outreach publication that serves as a safe place for students to anonymously share their stories with the community.

About the Host:

Dr. Jette is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and the President & CEO of ABCs for Global Health. Click here for her full profile or read her full interview here.

About ABC's for Global Health:

ABCs for Global Health is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding practical​ solutions to health problems of disadvantaged and underserved communities. Their programs include telemedicine, research on nutrition and healthcare, and disaster response.

Visit these links if you'd like to support either by volunteering or sharing your resources:

• Get Involved
• Donate

Click here for the FULL TRANSCRIPT.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.