Speaking Out about Mental Health
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In pre-pandemic times, Ken Steele sits down on the Carleton University "Friendship Bench" with president and vice-chancellor (and neuropsychologist) Benoit-Antoine Bacon to talk frankly about his own journey to mental health, and his advice for students.
Mental health has been a significant concern on higher ed campuses for a decade or more. Anxiety and depression have been rising. In Fall 2019, the National College Health Assessment found 39% of students in moderate or serious psychological distress, 49% experiencing loneliness, and 27% reporting consistently high levels of stress for the preceding year. The COVID19 pandemic has exacerbated those feelings of loneliness, stress and distress.
But President Bacon emphasizes that mental health issues are not a new problem, although there\\u2019s a growing realization in our society of their prevalence and impact. \\u201cIt\\u2019s really the new generation\\u2026 that are leading the way. In many ways, we\\u2019re following their lead\\u2026 because the young people are showing courage.\\u201d
He has been quite open about his own mental health journey, even at his presidential installation ceremony in 2018 ( https://youtu.be/zI_XuTexdPo ). His father was abusive, and Benoit himself spent 20 years in and out of depression. \\u201cI thought it was important to lead from a position of honesty\\u2026 Talking openly and honestly about mental health issues, their symptoms and their causes, is the first step towards addressing them, both as an individual and as society.\\u201d Certainly students at Carleton appreciate their president\\u2019s willingness to speak openly about mental wellness.
\\u201cYou don\\u2019t have to be bound by your past\\u2026 The journey of healing is always continuing, it\\u2019s never ever done.\\u201d The worst scenario is to be someone who believes they don\\u2019t deserve to seek help or speak openly about the healing they need. \\u201cA live lived in trauma, by yourself, is a desperate life that you don\\u2019t want to live.\\u201d
Mental illness has multiple causes, genetic and epigenetic, and it doesn\\u2019t matter what form of trauma a person experiences, the issue is the self-perceptions and habits of thought that hold them back. \\u201cIf you\\u2019re raised in a way that you\\u2019re worthless and that the world is dangerous, you\\u2019ll never have a fun day, ever!\\u201d People need to retrain their minds to perceive reality differently: \\u201cThe world is both beautiful AND dangerous\\u2026 We have more control than we think about whether the world is perceived as beautiful or dangerous.\\u201d
This part 1 of a series on mental health at Carleton. We\\u2019ll be back soon with:
- Suzanne Blanchard, VP Students & Enrolment, on Carleton\\u2019s holistic approach to mental wellness
- Rebecca Drodge, a recent graduate, on Carleton\\u2019s peer wellness programs
- Shannon Noonan, Special Projects Officer for Student Mental Health Engagement and Pet Therapy, about Carleton\\u2019s impressive therapy dog programs
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Stay tuned!\\xa0 Or to be sure you don\\u2019t miss them, take a moment to subscribe, here or by email at http://eduvation.ca/subscribe/
A special thank-you again to Benoit, Suzanne, Rebecca, Shannon, and the Carleton University videographers who made this possible!
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