TO THE EDITOR:
This week marks Mental Illness Awareness Week, established by Congress in 1990 to honor and commemorate people with mental illness and their friends, families and caregivers.
This week is especially relevant to college students, considering that one out of four college students suffers from a diagnosable mental illness.
I encourage all members of the UNC community to take this opportunity to reflect on what we can do together to improve the lives of people with mental illness.
Whether it is inviting a friend struggling with depression to lunch or helping them to schedule an appointment with Counseling and Wellness Services, there are so many ways you can make a difference.
And if you are going through mental illness, there are resources at CWS and elsewhere on campus to help you feel better.
By making mental illness a part of the conversation at UNC, we can end the stigma faced by those with mental illness and help people know that they are not alone.
Let’s work together to make a difference on mental health issues—this week and every week.
Peter Alfredson
Sophomore
Political Science, Russian
