Student Org invites UTA Coeds to Enjoy Game Night, Mental Wellness Discussion

Thursday, Mar 24, 2022

By Valerie Fields Hill
School of Social Work

A new Social Work student organization is inviting UTA coeds to attend an online event where they may share their experiences with feeling down and blue – and get help with those emotions.

Coeds may enjoy virtual games and prizes during this weekend’s event, says Denise Draper, an MSW student and member of the new organization.

Social activities are important for students’ mental health, therapists say.

In fact, social activities offer safe spots for students to find joy and to connect with new people with similar interests and experiences, says Kiva Harper, associate professor of Social Work and an advisor to the new student organization.

 “Students are so bummed out from the pressure of frequent COVID testing and COVID monitoring, working multiple jobs, attending school in different modalities and maintaining their families,” said Harper, who counsels young adults who have experienced trauma in her private practice. “They’re having trouble concentrating, focusing on studies and just finding things in which they can celebrate.”

Mavs for Mental Health Awareness, the new Social Work Student organization, will host “Mindful Solutions for Managing Stressful Emotions,” a social and emotional wellness event, at 6 p.m., Sunday, March 27. All UTA students are invited. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/293642952977

The event will include interactive games with prizes, says Draper, who is majoring in Direct Practice in Mental Health and Substance Misuse.

Sunday’s panel of student mental health clinicians will offer conversation and tips to help students recognize signs of anxiety and depression. The student mental health peers will offer resources for getting help, Draper said.

Mental health therapists have long advocated for public discussion of anxiety and depression, and for educating individuals on how to distinguish the two conditions. The goal of public discourse on the topics, many say, is to remove stigmas associated with mental wellness, particularly on college campuses.

According to the Healthy Minds Study, a University of Michigan survey that looks at mental health among college students, 47 percent screened positive for “clinically significant symptoms” of depression or anxiety. That figure increased by three percentage points from last year, when 44 percent did so. The figure is the highest since the researchers began the survey in 2007. The study included data from 32,754 students from 36 colleges and universities across the nation.

For more information on anxiety, depression or thoughts of self-harm, see the attached links:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kivaharper_people-who-die-by-suicide-dont-usually-want-activity-6891386288444981249-Kvig

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline, (800) 273-8255

Five tips for supporting suicidal family/friends

1. Don't be afraid to ask if they are having thoughts of dying by suicide. This will NOT give them the idea. It is ok to ask.

    

2. Offer to be with them to call a suicide hotline or go with them to the ER. It is important they have professional help.

    

3. Avoid making statements that invalidate their feelings, i.e. "You have so much to be thankful for. It could be worse." Though well intentioned, these statements are rarely helpful or comforting and may even cause the person to withdraw more.

    

4. Listen and support instead of giving advice. Chances are you don't have the magic words to make the person "snap out of it". Focus on listening and supporting them through this crisis. They need to know they aren't alone.

    

5. Openly discuss mental health and suicide. We must reduce the stigma that leads people to suffer silently.