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Students walk to 'Release the Stigma' of mental health

April 10, 2014
<p>The MSU Men's Glee Club performs the fight song April 10, 2014, at Beaumont Tower for Mental Health Awareness Week. Attendees heard from speakers about mental health stigmas. Meagan Beck/The State News</p>

The MSU Men's Glee Club performs the fight song April 10, 2014, at Beaumont Tower for Mental Health Awareness Week. Attendees heard from speakers about mental health stigmas. Meagan Beck/The State News

Photo by Meagan Beck | The State News

Students and faculty gathered around Beaumont Tower Thursday afternoon for the Release the Stigma Walk, which was part of the Mental Health Awareness Week at MSU.

The event was set up by ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, in effort to eliminate the stigmas often associated with mental illness and to encourage students to speak out.

“We really wanted to instigate conversation again and show that mental health is OK to talk about,” ASMSU Vice President for Special Projects Abbie Newton said. “The idea is ... to not be afraid to talk about it and be afraid to communicate what you need.”

Everyone gathered around Beaumont Tower to hear live music from local performers, including the MSU Men’s Glee Club and Desmond Jones, a local band comprised mostly of MSU students.

The performances were followed by speeches from Scott Becker of the MSU Counseling Center and psychology senior Jill Passanante, who suffered from depression.

"(For) someone who struggles with mental health, you aren’t alone,” Passanante said. “We can start this conversation now and we have started it, we just need to continue on this path to releasing the stigma and all start talking more and being open.”

The students then began the walk, wearing special T-shirts and carrying green balloons, which are a symbol of mental health awareness.

The biggest key to eliminating preconceived notions about mental illness is being open about its realities, Passanante said.

“For me personally, it’s just starting to talk about my past and not hiding my past,” Passanante said. “I feel like that’s a huge part of releasing the stigma is bringing it into the light.”

For others, like Becker, the biggest thing people need to do is become comfortable and informed with personal issues like mental health.

“I think part of it is learning to be interested in the things we don’t like to talk about,” Becker said. “I think it’s just the idea that more and more of us are suffering from mental health issues and the more we talk about it, the easier that gets.”

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