AMU APU Mental Health Online Learning Original

Active Minds: Making a Difference in Public Mental Health

By Lindsey Bordovsky
Student and Alumni Affairs Liaison

Maintaining good mental health is an ongoing struggle for many people. There are multiple stressors that people face in life, including the death of a family member or friend, divorce, job loss or money problems.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic brought more stress. During the pandemic, people had to worry about contracting a serious illness, cope with the online instruction of children at home and deal with shortages of vital supplies such as hand sanitizer and protective gloves.

The University offers several resources to help members of the University community to deal with the stress in their lives, such as Uwill and the Chaplain team. Another useful resource is the University’s chapter of Active Minds, a student organization focused on mental health and suicide prevention.

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What Is Active Minds?

According to the Active Minds website, Active Minds is “the nation’s premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness.” The mission of the University’s chapter of Active Minds is to empower its members to speak openly about mental health issues to educate others and encourage people to seek help when they need it.

Chapter president Olivia Swarts says, “The aim is to increase awareness of the issues surrounding mental health, improve knowledge of the symptoms related to mental disorders and provide mental health resources for University community members. We hope that through education and conversations, that the stigma surrounding mental health will be broken and that a safe space is created for members to learn more about their own mental health.”

Active Minds has also created a blog about mental health, mental illness and public stigma. Be sure to visit this blog – especially during National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month this October – to learn about upcoming events and other useful information.

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Join Active Minds Today!

There is no cost to join Active Minds; membership is free to current students, alumni, staff and faculty members. For more information on the University’s chapter of Active Minds, visit the Active Minds webpage or contact studentaffairs@apus.edu.

Lindsey Bordovsky is a Student and Alumni Affairs Liaison who has worked at the University since August 2020. She holds a B.A. in psychology and a M.A. in college student development from Shepherd University.

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