In its first major event, the Interfraternity Council Mental Health Committee discusssed plans to increase its presence on campus and increase awareness of resources available to students struggling with mental health problems.
On Friday, greek members and students gathered at Hodge Hall to discuss pressing issues for students struggling with mental health issues.
The Mental Health Committee is an organization of brothers from various chapters who wish to bring the community together to discuss mental health issues, said Pablo Gallo, resources chair for the Mental Health Committee.
“We stand together to eliminate the many stigmas surrounding mental health and make all members of this community feel comfortable discussing these issues,” Gallo said.
The purpose of the event was to raise awareness for mental health problems within the greek community and student body as a whole, said Andrew Haffner, Mental Health Committee director.
One topic that was discussed at the event was stigma associated with mental illness, particularly for men.
Men suffering with mental issues sometimes shield their feelings through physical and verbal abuse toward others to preserve their masculinity, said Hunter Leum, Mental Health Committee member.
“Some say it’s not manly to share you have depression, but that’s not the case,” Leum said. “The most manly thing you can do is to talk to others and get some help.”
Leum said he understands this on a personal level. His father committed suicide after struggling with depression. Leum said he noticed a significant change in his father’s behavior in the last year of his life.
While he said he doesn’t know how long his father had depression, Leum said it must have been long enough to make a difference. He said he encourages others with depression to seek out help for their struggles.
Those who seek help from the Mental Health Committee for their struggles with depression or other mental health issues won’t be victimized, regardless of gender, Haffner said.
“It’s not a problem when a 20-year-old man cries,” Haffner said. “It’s not a problem when you reach out for help. That’s what we’re there for.”
Another problem faced by those with mental health issues is substance abuse, said Andrew Gjertsen, Mental Health Committee member.
Alcohol, cocaine, Xanax, vyvanse, Adderall and heroin are among the drugs that may be used by those with mental issues in order to cope with their illnesses, Gjertsen said.
Haffner said he is proposing new ideas to put in effect through the committee for next semester. One way he plans on doing this is by improving the mental health chair position featured in a few chapters on campus.
Haffner said he wants there to be a mental health chair in every chapter soon. He said he would also like there to be more training for that position.
Training to be a mental health chair would involve learning to recognize signs of various mental health issues, such as depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, stress and anxiety, Gallo said.
Education on all the various resources available to students on campus would also be in the training, Gallo said.
Two good sources of help for those facing mental health issues are OASIS and Crimson CORPS, said Emma Hughes, the mental health director for Culture of Care.
OASIS is a drug and alcohol information center on campus, Hughes said. Crimson CORPS is a campus organization for faculty and students.
Hughes said every student has two free counseling sessions available to them every semester through Counseling and Psychological Services.
The Mental Health Committee hopes to work with the Panhellenic Association and organizations like Culture of Care in the future on projects for mental health awareness, Gallo said.
“In this way, we can all come together and work to address our common goals,” Gallo said.
Although the Mental Health Committee is only composed of members of IFC, Gallo said it is the goal of the committee to help the entire IU community.
“Whether you like it or not, IFC is moving towards the immediate community, not just the greek system,” Haffner said. “We’re all in this together.”
