Because mental illness is a silent struggle for countless students, IU student government is speaking out, IU Student Association public relations correspondent Kelly Burke said in an email.
“We recognize that mental health is an important part of a healthy and successful college experience and want to do what we can to make sure our student body succeeds,” Burke said in an email.
IUSA President Sara Zaheer said the organization has plans to incorporate mental health into their programs for the spring semester in 2017.
“Between myself, the Iowa Student Body President (Rachel Zuckerman) and the Association of Big Ten Students Executive Director Sammy Geisinger, we coordinated a campaign to call our members of Congress and urge them to support the bill and bring it to a vote,” Zaheer said in an email.
IUSA members sent out tweets, emails and phone calls to congressional members. A few IU students were able to meet with representatives in person, Zaheer said.
“We really didn’t know how successful it would be when we began but we knew that we had to try anything to make this happen,” Zaheer said. “Luckily, the bill passed.”
Last fall, Zaheer urged IUSA members to lobby for a U.S. congressional bill promising improved mental health care. The bill passed and has since become a law.
The law is called the 21st Century Cures Act. Though it does not benefit colleges and university campuses directly, the legislation lays the groundwork for future mental health care laws benefiting the education system, Burke said.
According to American Psychological Association, the law will improve the mental health problem in the U.S. by issuing a large sum of money to the National Institutes of Health for research on brain disorders. The 21st Century Cures Act will also distribute funding to destinations throughout the United States with the goal of improving mental health resources nationally and ensuring mental illness is taken just as seriously as other ailments.
In 2014, one in five adults struggled with a mental illness, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Only 41 percent of adults in the U.S with a mental health issue received treatment in 2014. This means one in 10 Americans were living with an untreated mental issue, according to National Alliance on Mental Illness.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 63.8 million Americans experienced a mental health issue of any type in 2014. From that group about 13 million were living with a mental illness or substance abuse disorder which causes significant impairment and interferes tremendously with daily life and activities, according to APA.
That number includes numerous IU students. IUSA is currently working on their behalf to make sufficient mental health resources accessible.
This time Burke is looking to the statehouse rather than the Capitol Building.
“IUSA as a whole would like to see increased lobbying efforts at the Statehouse for expanding mental health funding here on campus,” Burke said. ”Our student body is doing what they can to improve resources and help one another out, but there are gaps in mental healthcare that need to be filled”.
Though there is still more to be done, Zaheer said the effort IU students make to call attention to mental health is notable. She said the sheer number of student organizations promoting the cause is reflective of IU’s dedication and listed Crimson CORPS, U Bring Change 2 Mind, NAMI and Culture of Care as examples.
“IU students are remarkable in creating and propelling solutions to problems they see,” Zaheer said. “In relation to mental health awareness, that was no different. When talking about how to improve our campus, students prioritize mental health.”
