On Tuesday, March 31, Keene State College’s Active Minds organization teamed up with the Counseling Center and the Monadnock Area Peer Support Agency to host an open discussion panel about the stigma surrounding mental illness.

With six panelists and a full house of about 40 KSC students in the audience, members of Active Minds said the night was a success.

“Mental illness is definitely a topic that is often censored and hushed but is also incredibly important,” Allison Sonia, who is president of the Active Minds organization at KSC, said.

According to the Active Minds Facebook page, they work to increase awareness of mental health issues and provide information and resources regarding mental health and mental illness.

Sonia continued, “Putting this panel together we hoped to provide a safe and welcoming environment to talk about mental illness.”

For the event, six panelists were asked to tell their own personal stories about their experiences with mental illness.

Phoebe Buckman, secretary for Active Minds, explained, “Our panelists spoke from a variety of viewpoints; as those who have a mental illness, those with family members suffering from an illness and those who work with people with these struggles.  Each panelist told their story for the first hour of the event.”

Afterwards, audience members were encouraged to ask questions, which allowed time for one-on-one discussions and made the whole experience much more comfortable for the students who were in attendance, according to the panelists.

“Active Minds sought out the panelists by attending meetings with the counseling center and partnering with Monadnock Peer Support to be able to put this event on,” Taylor Chadwick, treasurer for the group, explained. Chadwick continued, “We put on events like these not only to educate [people], but to support students who may be struggling and don’t know about the resources that are out there for them.”

Aidan Bolduc, a KSC sophomore, said, “The goal of this panel was to humanize those who suffer from mental illness.”

Bolduc, who said he is an enthusiastic member of the Active Minds organization, continued, “All too often average people do not understand the difficulty or the intricacies of the issues that the mentally ill suffer from, and this makes them more likely to unjustly belittle, neglect or fear people with mental illnesses.”

Bolduc continued, “By hearing real stories from a number of people who have all dealt with a variety of illnesses, struggles and traumas, the audience was able to better understand that these are not the stories of the ‘other,’ but of real people who have suffered and fought back and who deserve our support and respect.”

Chadwick added that the event was not only to educate students on what it’s like to have a mental illness, but also to offer help to these students.

Chadwick said, “I hope that our audience was able to see how mental illness can not only affect the person diagnosed, but their family and friends as well.  I also hope that we were able to offer resources and a sense of support to students who may need it.”

Sonia also stressed the importance of mental illness, and why Active Minds thought an open discussion on the topic was so important for KSC students to be a part of.

“One in four adults have a diagnosed mental illness and many are not receiving the help they need,” Sonia said.

She continued, “We think that it’s important for people to understand the stigmas surrounding mental illness.”

“Several of the panelists talked about the fear that is associated with mental illness and perpetuated by the media. It’s important for people to understand more about it so that they are prepared when they come across mental illness,” she said.

Buckman added, “One of the phrases we often use is ‘stomp out stigma.’  This panel was designed to meet this goal.”

The Active Minds group was pleased with how the night turned out, and the members expressed thoughts of hosting another similar event in the future.

“I have confidence that everyone in that room left with fewer stigmas against the mentally ill and with more sympathy and understanding for them,” Bolduc said.

Chadwick added, “All of the panelists shared compelling and inspiring stories that impacted the audience in many ways. I think that our campus should have more events like this one, that have a powerful impact and bring us together as a community.”

Sonia agreed she is optimistic about a change in the mindset on campus. Sonia explained, “I hope that if anyone took anything away from this event it was that people are not their labels. Everyone has their own story and if you take the time to listen you can learn a lot.”

The Active Minds organization meets on Tuesday nights in Morrison 101 and new members are welcome. Those who think they  or someone they know may be suffering from a mental illness should visit the Counseling Center on the third floor of Elliot Center.

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com