First/bottom row: Mitchell Levesque, Anna Koenning, Marlee Louden, Mikayla Scrignoli, Shannon Brault
Second/middle row: Matthew Voigt, Taylor Rivera, Megan Phillips, Holly Gilvary
Third/top row: Eitan Grad, Lauren Borchart, Macy Harder, Emily Baude, Jihwan Paik (Not Pictured): Bel Moran
Reporting that looks beyond stress and wellness to confront stigma and uncover the experiences and needs of students with mental health diagnoses at the University of Minnesota
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Editors’ Note
Mental illness is something that touches all of our lives, whether it be through our own struggles or those of someone close to us. It’s ever-present, but rarely talked about at length among those who don’t face depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other mental health diagnoses – conditions that are often invisible or stigmatized on campus.
When we began to discuss covering students with mental health conditions on campus, we spoke largely of the University’s resources and messaging regarding “student mental health,” and what this term really means. We noticed that quite often, the efforts were focused on stress reduction and general wellness tips. But, we asked, are these enough to properly serve the nearly 52% of students who say they’ve been diagnosed with a mental health condition in their life, a percentage that has doubled in the past 15 years?
In an effort to bring these voices to the forefront, our mission is to look beyond stress and wellness to confront stigma and uncover the experiences and needs of students with mental health diagnoses at the University. Through interviews, research, and a comprehensive student survey, our reporting strives to shine a light on the everyday realities of these students and assess the current state of the University’s resources and support for them.
Guiding our reporting process is a commitment to fair, equitable and empathetic coverage. It was essential to highlight a diverse range of perspectives on this issue, whether we were speaking with experts or students. We paid close attention to our sources and considered whose perspective was still missing in order to represent the true picture of mental health and its nuances. We have also highlighted their resiliency through their own words in “Minds That Matter” profiles to break down stigmatized ideas about what exactly it means – and does not mean – to have a mental health diagnosis.
We recognize that mental illness is hard to talk about, no matter how close you are to the issue. But these tough conversations are necessary in order to educate, destigmatize and offer support to those who need it.
Hopefully, our reporting will uncover the ways in which this community can be better served on our campus. At the end of the day, struggling with mental health is more than dealing with stress, and talking about it honestly needs to be a priority at the University.
Macy Harder and Lauren Borchart, Co-Editors
AccessU: More Than Stress