One of the last conversations I had with my father was him pleading, “Help me. Please, help me.” My dad came to this country from Cuba when he was just 15, speaking no English and having no family in the states. Over the course of a few decades, he worked his way out of poverty…
One month ago today, my partner Rich and I stood under a big tent during the loveliest late-summer rain storm and did a really wonderful thing: We got married. Our wedding was beautiful and special and fun and silly — all the things we had hoped it would be during the months of planning. We stood under the alter…
Active Minds is proud to announce that the University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a winner of the 2015 Active Minds Healthy Campus Award, which recognizes the University as one of the healthiest campuses in the nation. University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) was recognized for its cohesive, innovative public health approach to student health and…
This post is part of a Suicide Prevention Month blog series. Read the other blogs here. Please note: This piece talks about a specific experience regarding suicidal thoughts and hospitalizations. Not all experiences will be or are the same. When someone is actively suicidal, we often tell them to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call…
This post is part of a Suicide Prevention Month blog series. Read the other blogs here. According to the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (Van Orden et al., 2010), desires for suicide arise from a combination of perceived burdensomeness (i.e. “the world would be better off without me”) and thwarted belongingness (i.e. “no one will ever…
A new school year is upon us, and we’re pretty excited. To help you get ready for the semester, we’ve put together five tips that you can use to have a great start to the year. Relax. Starting a new year back at school can be exciting, but with new classes, adjusting to campus life…
The transition to the shorter and busier days of fall can be a challenge. To help ease the change, we’ve put together 15 Autumn Wellness Tips to get you ready for the colder months and keep your mental (and physical!) health in check. 1) Start taking a Vitamin D supplement. We get most of our Vitamin D…
Sarah Berendt is currently studying social work at Lourdes University in Sylvania, OH. She is founder and president of Active Minds at Lourdes University and a member of the Student Advisory Committee. It was the second time ever that I was sitting across from a therapist; I was lost, confused, and terrified. She handed me…
For some people, summer means fun in the sun, outdoor barbecues, far-away vacations, no homework, and plenty of time to relax. But for many other people — especially students — summer can be an extremely stressful time of transition. At college, students have their friends, classes, extracurricular activities, and other things keeping them constantly busy. When summer…
May is Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month! Stacy Pershall, a member of the Active Minds Speakers Bureau who has a diagnosis of BPD, shares 5 things you should know about this oft-misunderstood disorder. Bring Stacy to your campus to speak today! 1. The disorder got its name from psychoanalyst Otto Kernberg, when Freudian therapists observed…
Active Minds is the nation's premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for students.
