Although the effects of mental health on one's life are very serious, mental health in general is often overlooked in many people. This could be due to several issues, including the lack of awareness for proper mental health, the lack of awareness of what "good" mental health is, or just purposeful ignorance of one's psychological health due to the stigma of somebody having "mental issues". Our group in Gateway to University Honors has tackled this problem and attempted to shed some light on this growing and ever-concerning topic.

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        In order to gain insight on this rather complicated subject, we reached out to Tara Scarborough, one of the directors of CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) at the University of Cincinnati. She is responsible for overseeing the programs, providing group/individual therapy, and many other aspects, so we decided Tara would be perfect for helping us answer our questions regarding mental health.

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        One answer provided by Tara that shocked me was that college students access mental health services at a rate 5 times greater than enrollment -- and overall mental health seems to be worse for young adults in general (including college students). When further questioned about the reasoning for this, Tara mentioned that the lack of connection, financial stress, and relationship stress are among the top promoting factors. As a college student struggling with some of these symptoms as well as other similar ones, I admittedly turned not so surprised; such a drastic lifestyle change as college will definitely take a toll on one's mental state. Furthermore, college students may have significantly more responsibility than they have ever had in their lives, and this can easily be overwhelming for any person suddenly gaining so much responsibility.

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       Moreover, the topic that the group was most intrigued by was the stigma of mental health. When asking Tara about the most common stigmas surrounding mental illness, she answered that admitting emotional pain was the strongest. Upon reflecting on this answer, I realized that emotional pain is not something that one would willingly admit because, in short, it makes one feel vulnerable. Nobody understands an individual's psyche, so coming forward about one's emotional trauma can lead to denial or judgement of one's experience. Another possibility for this stigma is the feeling of stability that people feel needs to be kept in place, lest their way of life be in danger. The last possibility I thought of applies particularly to men: the concept of toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity as it applies in this context would be the willful ignorance of one's mental health in order to retain the image of what a "man" should be: stoic, stable, and unfazed. Of course, everybody experiences their own mental traumas in their own way, so the number of reasons for refusing to admit emotional pain to somebody else is potentially infinite.

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        Tara's answers overall gave a beginning guide to a complicated answer that is still trying to be definitely found by society. As a college student, she helped me realize that now is the most important time to be actively thinking about my own mental health and how I can better it. As I was most intrigued by the mental health stigma issue, I will now use my knowledge to let others around me know that mental health is not something to be pushed aside, but rather it is an integral to one's development as a person and it should be taken as seriously as all other aspects of health in the human body. I know now I can make a difference for others by being involved in the CAPS program or I could just let my friends know that I am open to talking about and positively impacting their mental health; nobody should put themselves in jeopardy just because societal stigmas will not allow them to solve their problems. I will be a mental health ambassador to my friends, family, and all of those I meet along the way.