In a time when nearly 20 percent of Americans suffer from some form of mental illness, a group of students has started a UNM chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
NAMI is the largest grassroots organization addressing mental illness in the U.S, and UNM’s newly formed chapter is joining that fight.
“Most people that are going to suffer from mental mental illness in their lifetime are going to be diagnosed by the time they’re 25,” said Matthew Rush, a UNM graduate pursuing his PHD and the president of NAMI UNM.
NAMI UNM is in its first semester as an on-campus affiliate, having been only recently recognized by the national organization it shares its name with. NAMI UNM became an official affiliate on Feb. 24, just months before Mental Health Month, which begins in May.
Rush began looking into bringing a campus affiliate of NAMI after working with NAMI Albuquerque, he said.
“I got involved with them through a family to family class, and from there I was looking at starting one on campus,” he said. “I also want to give credit to my vice president Kimberly Rogge-Obando. She had actually been interested in starting the chapter beforehand, so it kind of brought us together. We just took off from there.”
Rush said the group is trying to get things up and running quickly with events on campus. He said one of the main focuses is making connections and building bridges with other groups during the summer, so that next school year they will be ready to really get to work.
Roughly one in five Americans suffer from some form of mental illness, Rush said, and many of them are college-aged.
“It’s super important for NAMI on campus, due to the fact that roughly of those one in five individuals, 50 percent will be diagnosed before they reach 18 and then another quarter of them will be diagnosed by the time they reach 25,” he said.
This age group, which is roughly 75 percent of the individuals being diagnosed, also have to cope with the additional stress of going to college, getting an education and learning how to develop themselves as adults, he said.
“Our main goal really on campus is to offer educational activities and resources, and connect people with skills and education so that they understand mental illness and mental health,” Rush said.
NAMI UNM is looking to recruit members. They have four officers that are currently serving with them, and have seen decent attendance at their events so far, he said.
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“We have educational days, and we don’t actually take attendance at those but we have 10 to 15 people show up. Those are mainly meant to serve as stigma-breaking events,” Rush said.
These events serve as educational opportunities for the general community, and so far these events have covered a large range of mental health issues and concerns, from anxiety to depression. They’ve also hosted talks about triggers and understanding things that set people off, he said.
Their upcoming event on Friday deals with schizophrenia, Rush said.
“One of the things we really try to do on campus is point out that mental illness is not debilitating. It is like any illness,” he said. “What we are really hoping to get a cross with NAMI UNM is helping people understand these illnesses better, and for more people to not be afraid of seeking help,” he said.
NAMI UNM’s primary initiative is education and the breaking of stigmas, letting people know that mental illness is not what is often portrayed in the media, Rush said.
“One of the biggest downfalls for most people when they are dealing with these issues is that they are afraid of actually receiving a diagnosis or receiving any help, because they see how it is presented in popular media,” he said. “That’s really not the reality at all of most mental illnesses.”
Rush said NAMI UNM is open to anybody, not only on campus but also from the surrounding community. All they ask is that people have an interest in understanding and supporting mental health initiatives across campus.
NAMI UNM has already been certified for 2018 as well, and will have a office in LOBO Lair, Rush said.
“We did want to make sure we actually had a safe space that people could actually have some conversations. Our goal is not to treat people, but to answer questions and get people connected,” he said.
Nichole Harwood is a reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Nolidoli1.
