Educating students about mental health at Honolulu Community College

Honolulu CC to host annual Health & Wellness Fair featuring 39 service providers

Take Charge! at Honolulu Community College

Honolulu Community College will be holding its annual Health & Wellness Provider Fair to educate the campus community and the public about personal mental heath and well-being.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Honolulu Community College Cafeteria
874 Dillingham Blvd.

Thirty nine (39) service providers and community organizations will offer information and displays on various topics that affect an individual’s wellbeing, such as, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, mental illness, suicide, addiction, anxiety and schizophrenia at the September 14 provider fair.

“The annual Health & Wellness Provider Fair provides a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty and staff to get connected, gain a better understanding of mental illness and become familiar with services and resources on our campus and in our community. All participants are able to talk with community agencies one on one and participate in various activities in an effort to learn more about mental /health/wellness services that support mental health and wellness for all,” shares Honolulu CC Mental Health Counselor Kimberly Gallant.

Throughout the week of the fair there will be life-size displays around the campus (made by carpentry technology students and painted by auto body students) of the “Take Charge Challenge.” The visual displays will challenge the campus community to think about how they would respond and help someone who maybe struggling with thoughts of suicide, addiction, schizophrenia, anxiety and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The goal is to raise awareness about college mental health and engage the campus community in a dialogue and action plan to better assist and support individuals in need.

Mental health concerns are at the forefront of higher education institutions across the nation due in large part to the increased incidents of violence that has occurred on campuses across the United States. Virginia Tech, MIT, Harvard, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and Honolulu Community College have all experienced incidences of campus violence that have affected one or more individuals and families. Reports from these institutions and others find that often these incidences can be linked in part to some form of mental illness.

• Nearly half of all college students report feeling so depressed at some point they have trouble functioning. Forty-four percent of American college students reported feeling symptoms of depression. (Healthyminds.org)
• One in four adults will experience an episode of depression by the age of 24. (Friends Hospital, the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Psychiatric Association)
• Seventy-five percent experience their first episode of anxiety before age 22. (National Institute of Mental Health - NIMH)
• Seventy-five percent of people develop schizophrenia between the ages of 15-25. Approximately 10 percent of people with schizophrenia (especially younger adult males) commit suicide. (Friends Hospital, the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Psychiatric Association)
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death of college students ages 20-24. (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Surgeon Generals Report on Mental Health)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder, can occur at any age including childhood. (Friends Hospital, the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Psychiatric Association)