Among all the issues facing college students, mental health issues are some of the most prevalent and, also, some of the least discussed.
Active Minds speaker Margaret Bertram came to UB last Wednesday to discuss and dispel the stigmas, and answer the questions, surrounding mental health issues. Bertram also shared how mental health issues affected her life.
"I started to build up this façade of what it would look like to be what everybody expected me to be," Bertram said. "I was afraid that starting to [be who I really was] would really mean that I had failed at keeping up this perfect façade… [my friends] thought I was ‘the together one,' that I had everything figured out. It's hard not to be when you let everybody else make your decisions for you."
Bertram spoke of her experiences facing depression, anorexia nervosa, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and how these issues tied in with her discovering her lesbian identity. Bertram, at the age of 22, was faced with all of these issues and, at the suggestion of her doctor and therapist, entered in-patient treatment to get on a path to recovery. This decision, she said, was not easy to make, but one she made to save herself.
"I decided that if I was going to do all the things that I wanted to do, if I was going to be an educator, if I was going to work with students for the rest of my life, I needed to make sure I had [a choice]," Bertram said. "Something about being empowered to make a choice for my choice, something I hadn't done in so long, made it mine. I was going to do this."
Bertram shared her message to a crowd of 80 students, faculty, and guests, and concluded her speech with a question-and-answer session from the audience.
The event was held with the support of a grant awarded to Active Minds UB, which collaborated with UB's LGBTA to host the event. These groups, along with the Student Wellness Team and Student Counseling Services, offered information in the foyer of Slee Hall, advocating positive mental health, acceptance of all people, and making students aware that there are resources available.
"[Bertram] really shows people that there is help. I just don't think that a lot of students here at UB know that there is help," said Jason Rosenberg, a freshman psychology major. "If you ever feel that you're not feeling 100 percent with yourself and you know you need help, you should get help because its very easy to fall."
The event was hosted as part of the Student Wellness Team's Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which included educational workshops about eating disorders and healthy eating, yoga demonstrations, guest speakers, and movie showings in the Student Union.
Bertram spoke about her experience in group therapy when speaking about her eating disorder.
"I found [that] not only were there people like me, there were people from all different backgrounds," Bertram said. "For the first time, I realized that this wasn't just my problem; this was a problem for all of us."
Bertram's message was touching to those in attendance. Many people took the opportunity to take pictures and talk to her after the event.
"I thought Margaret's speech was incredibly moving," said Rachel Gaydosh, a sophomore psychology and theater major, and vice president of Active Minds UB. "She was a wonderful speaker, so genuine, and I admire her courage to stand up and tell her story. Her story is one that will be able to change the conversation on mental health. I appreciated the message she conveyed about full expression of who you truly are and embracing your authentic self."
Bertram encouraged people to be open, both about the issues of mental health and about personal mental well-being. She said that when people keep quiet about their problems, their issues begin to grow.
"Secrets are what hurt us. They can poison or relationships; they can poison our communities," Bertram said. "We can [either] choose the stigma or we can choose to change it."
The discussion about mental health issues is one that is slowly catching on around college campuses due to the efforts of Margaret Bertram. Her message for those who are suffering is to seek help and remember that they are not alone.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
