Hunter College Students Seek Mental Health Guidance.
The left side image is Christina Bradley, a manager for NAMI-NYC. The right side image are a group of students from Hunter College at the mental health event.
Nearly a dozen Hunter College students looking for advice on how to cope with mental health challenges heard from a mental health advocate at a gathering last Oct. 15 at the school’s Thomas Hunter Hall.
The hour-long event, hosted by the Undergraduate Student Government, allowed Christina Bradley, a manager for the National Alliance of Mental Illness of New York, an advocacy group supporting families and individuals in the city, share her own experience with family members who had undiagnosed and untreated mental illnesses, which she said cost them their lives.
She added: “Mental Health is a spectrum between completely the well being of a human being where mental illnesses are one end of the spectrum at the end of the extreme.”
The goal of the event is to educate people on the importance of mental health and inform others of the resources that are available in their communities.
Breaking the mental health stigma starts with education. Many students who are battling with anxiety and depression have a hard time confiding in someone else because they are afraid of being judged.
“What is compelling about NAMI-NYC is that we bring people with mental illnesses who are ready to share their stories and inspire and support others, stated Bradley. “The stigma starts to break when we share our struggles with other people who feel a little trapped by stigma.”
Many students, such as Anna Compton and Sahar Ahmed related to struggling with cultural stigma with their families when talking about mental health.
Compton, lost her cousin last May when she committed suicide. She shared how, in order to improve mental health, it must start by recognizing the condition. She started by recognizing her struggle with anxiety and finds the strength in having self-awareness rather than hiding it.
She also said, “finding someone to confide in and not letting those emotions bottle up is crucial.”
Note: If ever in need of talking to someone, please do not hesitate to call the NAMI Helpline at 212-684-3264