Active Minds hosts student panel on mental health

Active Minds At JHU and the Student Government Association (SGA) co-hosted a mental health panel in Hodson Hall on Monday in which students recounted their experiences dealing with mental illness at Hopkins.

The panelists spoke about dealing with a variety of disorders, including autism, bulimia and depression. They discussed the different mechanisms they use to cope with the stress of student life.

Active Minds Presidents Em Mitchell and Molly Merkel encouraged questions and comments after the panelists had shared their stories. They said that the mission of Active Minds is to decrease stigma about mental illness and increase conversation about mental health, which, in turn, raises awareness within the student body.

Sophomore Elena House-Hay spoke about her struggles with depression and eating disorders for several years. She described the internal difficulties she experienced whilst looking for a support system among friends and mental health professionals.

“I really wanted their help, but I couldn’t communicate properly,” House-Hay said. “When I started having suicidal thoughts, I went to my first psychologist. She said she couldn’t help me, which was very hurtful to me. Other people can affect you even if you’re not exactly sure why.”

House-Hay said that she has tried many different medications and other forms of mental health treatment, but that certain treatments, such as being placed in mental hospital facilities, do not work for everyone who is struggling.

“You have to remember the person you want to be,” House-Hay said. “If the treatment you’re getting isn’t helping you be the person you want to be, it’s probably not the right treatment for you.”

House-Hay is currently receiving treatment from professionals at Hopkins, which she said is helpful because the school specializes in helping college students dealing with mental health issues.

Christine, who did not reveal her last name to the audience, is a sophomore who has survived an abusive relationship. Her portion of the panel focused on ways in which people who have experienced sexual and emotional abuse can learn to cope even without an extensive support system. Christine described how a relationship with her high school boyfriend developed into an abusive situation.

“In 10th grade I went on an exchange trip... with classmates,” Christine said. “There was one guy who I thought before this trip was a jerk. But for some reason, when we got [there] he was really charming. He gave special attention to me in particular, and when you’re 15 that means a lot. We spent a lot of time together. The first time he touched me in a way I didn’t like was on the plane back. I was confused. I had never really had a boyfriend. I now know it was sexually and emotionally abusive.”

The relationship became so destructive that when Christine tried to leave, the boy threatened to commit suicide. Christine didn’t recognize that he was manipulating her.

“Leaving doesn’t depend on how strong you are,” Christine said. “It depends a lot on the circumstances. I really want to emphasize my lack of support. I told three people about [my abuse] and never told them again. I didn’t tell my parents; I didn’t tell any adults.”

The third panelist to speak was John, who shared that he has autism. He spoke to how the disorder has shaped his academic and social life at Hopkins. John also did not share his last name.

Autism is a spectrum disorder; each individual case of autism presents a unique set of challenges. As a result of the disorder, John has experienced a need to be stimulated by his environment to the right degree. If he is over-stimulated or under-stimulated, he cannot focus on schoolwork and might begin to mentally shut down.

John has also experienced accelerated learning, which caused him to ace his high school classes and feel at ease in the rigorous and academic Hopkins environment.

One consequence of John's autism is the fact that he has a hard time connecting with other people. To cope with this, John said he has learned to provide himself with the correct measure of stimulation, to separate his academic and social spaces and to work on making new friends whose company he enjoys.

The next person to speak was sophomore Mallika Iyer, who was diagnosed with bulimia in 10th grade. Iyer talked about how despite her illness, she maintained a seemingly normal life on the surface.

Iyer said that at the height of her struggle with bulimia, she would throw up about 10-15 times a week.

“No one could tell I had this problem because it was very easy to disguise,” Iyer said. “It was really easy to maintain a normal life on the surface. Internally, social situations were really stressful, because I was always wondering about how much I would eat and if I would feel compelled to throw up. I went to boarding school at 14, and the social anxiety intensified.”

Iyer eventually underwent treatment for bulimia but remained in denial and resistant to the treatment for a long time.

“You have to want to get better, and for the majority of [my treatment], I didn’t even want to admit I had a problem,” she said.

Freshman Kendall Reitz spoke about her experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and depression. After developing several compulsions because she was unable to feel safe, Reitz was diagnosed with OCD and major depression in 10th grade.

“I was always a person who had to be in control, and when I had this mysterious illness, I was very not in control,” Reitz said. “I invented this sort of control to make myself feel safe. I knew these compulsions made no sense, but I had to do them anyway.”

When the floor opened for questions, several people commended the panelists on being courageous enough to share their stories of mental health issues. Many of the questions related to how people can cope with mental health disorders and how people can be supportive of friends without alienating or overwhelming people who are experiencing mental health difficulties.

“Having a support system is really important — someone you can just reach out to and say ‘I just really need to eat ice cream with you right now,’” Christine said.

House-Hay agreed that offering support is better than completely changing your view of someone with a mental illness.

“Being okay with what your problems are is a coping mechanism for me — accepting this and saying it isn’t going to ruin your life,” House-Hay said. “Predefining what you can do and looking out for the person [experiencing the mental health issue] instead of just thinking about how it affects your relationship with that person is really important.”

Iyer spoke against the mainstream media’s representations of mental health disorders, which can be detrimental to people who are experiencing depression, anxiety or other issues.

“The media portrays people at their lowest point, but there are tons of people who have more subtler symptoms,” Iyer said. “This prevents people who don’t have such extreme symptoms from realizing they have a problem and getting help.”

Reitz discussed how she has learned to cope with her OCD and depression and offered advice for anyone looking to offer support to their friends.

“The thing I learned through all of this and the key to recovery is not comparing yourself to others,” Reitz said. “I had to focus on [this], but I also think that everyone at Hopkins can benefit from not comparing themselves to others academically. In any aspect of life there’s always going to be someone better than you, but I just think, ‘Don’t compare yourself to others, and give yourself a break sometimes.’”

Reitz provided a mantra that can be used when helping others cope with their mental health problems.

“Don’t judge anyone, don’t be a jerk and don’t assume anything,” Reitz said. “Reaching out to someone is always going to be a good thing if you do it in the right way.”

Christine offered some final words on her recovery process.

“It’s really important to have people in your life who will be there for you,” Christine said. “This is where I am now, and I think I’m getting better.”

Correction: This article has been updated to include information about John's portion of the panel.