For Mental Health Awareness Week, Duke's Counseling and Psychological Services aims to spark campus conversation on well-being—but one led by students, not administrators.
The first week of October is recognized by groups and institutions across the country as part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s efforts to spread the word about mental health. This year, Duke will participate through the efforts of student groups, with the support of CAPS—an effort to place students at the center of the conversation, said Gary Glass, associate director for outreach and developmental programming of CAPS.
“The single most effective outcome is that conversations begin about issues such as mental health, and student-led efforts constitute the start of those conversations,” Glass said.
Glass said that CAPS chose this student-centered approach in order to prevent student efforts from being outshone by additional events, noting that student voices are the most effective way to spread awareness about mental health.
Among the participating groups is the To Be Honest initiative, which aims to shed light on campus mental health. The group will host a panel and discussion on the topic this week.
“We think a huge problem is that people don’t feel comfortable talking to their peers about going to CAPS, and we want to try to remove some of the negative stigmas associated with CAPS,” said sophomore Priyanka Venkannagari, who spearheaded the initiative.
Venkannagari noted that they plan to do this through blogs and videos in which students talk about their problems as well as by hosting small group discussions where people can feel more comfortable expressing themselves.
Also participating is To Write Love on Her Arms, a non-profit which aims to help those struggling with depression, addiction and self-harm. The group which will help to host Depression Screening Day in the Bryan Center Thursday, setting up tables and handing out depression screening questionnaires that can be completed either on site or in private.
CAPS will provide instruction and support for the student groups behind Depression Screening Day, Glass said—allowing students to be the face of the event with CAPS behind them along the way.
"There are a few different groups working together for Depression Screening Day," Glass said. "We'll be providing a training for them on understanding depression and on how to effectively refer students to appropriate services.”
CAPS Director Wanda Collins said that students face a variety of mental health issues each year. Among the most common are stress and anxiety, along with physical symptoms of anxiety such as sleep disruption and difficulty concentrating.
“CAPS services are directed towards helping students be more resilient and helping them manage anxiety better. We want to support students throughout the year, not just this week,” Collins said.
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