The National Alliance on Mental Illness reported that around 43.8 million people experience mental illness in a given year. There is a lot of stigma surrounding mental illnesses and the people who suffer from them. When in reality, mental illnesses are something that are incredibly common. Sonia Griffith, one of the counselors at Bob Jones High School, said, “There has been a stigma in the past, and the truth is that everyone we meet, has been, or will be dealing with some sort of mental health issue. These will be on different levels of severity, and treatment may range from a prescription drug, to a trip to the beach. We will all deal with it at some point.” If mental illnesses are so common, what is Bob Jones doing to help?

Here at Bob Jones we have quite a few resources for students struggling with their mental health. Griffith said, “[students] can always talk to a teacher or their counselor. We have an Enrichment Counselor at the school 3 days a week that offers support for students dealing with their mental health. The counseling center is always open to listen, and we can help make referrals to outside agencies that offer more services.”

This year, HOSA is spreading awareness about mental illness through their partnership with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). They have hung up multiple posters informing people of the prevalence of mental illness. Irena Guo, a senior at Bob Jones and the president of HOSA, explained why they felt it was important to hang up the posters, “With the increasing prevalence of suicide jokes among popular culture also comes the increase in suicide rates… Given the alarming numbers in which mental illness afflicts, we believed that these simple posters highlighting statistics would help students realize how many of their peers are or will be affected by a mental illness…mental illnesses are often downplayed.”

It is important that we realize that mental and physical health are equally important. Once we do this, we can combat the stigma against mental illness. Griffith gave her advice to students, “It is important to practice self care for your mind, not just your body!”