While assignments pile up and due dates draw closer, September marks not only the beginning of the fall semester but also Mental Health Awareness Month.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), suicide is the third leading cause of death for people ages 10-34 in the state. The LDH urges residents to look for warning signs of a crisis and encourages people to seek help.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, the LDH created a marketing campaign that advertised the Louisiana 988 helpline. The helpline consists of 988 specialists who take emergency phone calls and provide the caller with emotional support. LDH Secretary Stephen Russo explained the importance of the helpline in a recent press release.
“LDH recognizes that stigma and even fear may deter individuals from seeking support from 988,” Russo said. “This campaign is designed to address those barriers and encourage Louisiana residents to reach out whether they are in a mental health crisis or just having a bad day.”
Despite information on suicide being readily available, it is still highly stigmatized. The National Institute of Health (NIH) uses the Stigma of Suicide Attempts (STOSA) scale and Stigma of Suicide and Suicide Survivor (STOSASS) to evaluate popular beliefs surrounding mental illness.
According to researchers Paolo Socco and Cristina Castriotta, the STOTSA scale reveals that “a major obstacle to the correct identification and treatment of emerging suicide ideation and behavior is the negative attitude surrounding mental disorders and their treatment.”
ULM has on-campus services, such as the Self-Development, Counseling and Special Accommodations Center, that support students struggling with mental health. The counseling center offers personal therapy and substance abuse recovery programs.
The counseling center also offers walk-ins during office hours so that students in crisis can have near-immediate assistance. Personnel with the University police department will contact counselors in an emergency after-hours and on weekends.
ULM’s Self-Development, Counseling and Special Accommodations Center also sponsors programs and workshops periodically that are free to students.
Visit the ULM Self-Development, Counseling and Special Accommodations Center website to schedule an appointment or learn more about mental health awareness.