One in four people will experience or know someone who is experiencing some type of mental health issue in their lifetime, and stigmas can play a role in how these issues are viewed.
Students Overcoming Stigmas has created a week called People=People to educate the community about mental health and to stand up against stigmas.
A stigma is anything that makes you different than the social norm, said Melanie Richard, vice-president and treasurer of Students Overcoming Stigmas and a junior studying behavioral economics.
“Stigmas are divided into three parts: overt or physical; internal, which includes addictions; and tribal, which includes nationality or ethnicity,” Richard said. “Every type of group has their own problems to overcome.”
These kinds of stigmas lead to stereotyping, said Michael Desposito, president of Students Overcoming Stigmas and a senior studying psychology.
“If you take out the identifiers based on what we know, we are all people,” Desposito said.
Throughout the week, the group will have a table set up outside of Baker Center to inform others of the week’s events, which include therapy day, tours of The Ridges and a trivia night in The Front Room.
The final day of the week is called Lime Green Day, and everyone is encouraged to wear green in honor of mental health awareness month.
The tour of The Ridges has been set up to educate others on the former insane asylum, said George Eberts, volunteer coordinator for Appalachian Behavioral Health Care and part-time astronomy instructor.
“We want to highlight the fact that for the first several decades of its existence, The Ridges was a warm and welcoming place for those who needed help,” Eberts said. “We also want to paint a historically accurate history of the place that never actually left; we are still here, just under the name Appalachian Behavioral Health Care.”
Stigmas put a negative tone on things, and society can benefit from separating those from people, Richard said.
“If we can show that we raise ourselves above these standards that make it okay for us to be mean, maybe this can change the way people see each other and make people less afraid to get help,” Richard said. “We aren’t going to climb the mountain in one year, but half of the solution is understanding.
ao007510@ohiou.edu
