RAP Line discusses minority-related mental-health issues

Huntsman Hall was host last night to "Mental Health Camp," a program designed to "show that everyone could use a little help," according to College junior and Reach-A-Peer Line President Jordan Coello.

The event, now in its second-annual installation, was the result of collaboration between a variety of mental-health and minority groups on campus.

Campers heard from keynote speaker Russell Ramsay, professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, who spoke about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and its treatments, as well as the implications of prescription drug abuse.

After Ramsay spoke, campers went to two of four 25-minute "breakout sessions." Topics included depression, how to help a friend in need, perfectionism and minority mental-health issues.

"There's just a general stigma about reaching out for help," Coello said, adding that such pressure can be magnified for minority students.

Oftentimes, barriers to seeking help are "much more intense" for minority students, said Meeta Kumar, associate director of Counseling and Psychological Services.

Psychology professor Dianne Chambless agreed. "Some minority students, not all, might come from cultures where getting treatments for mental-health problems is just not acceptable," she said.

Another issue, said Chambless, is uncertainty over whether a therapist will understand his or her patient's specific cultural values. She added that CAPS is "very sensitive" to such issues.

Kumar emphasized that CAPS, which sees about 2400 students per year, does see a fair share of minority students.

Nonetheless, she said, barriers can arise from culturally defined ideas of mental illness, which create vivid oppositions between "healthy" and "sick."

"Those kind of dichotomies can be really scary to a young person thinking about 'What does it mean to go in and seek help?'" she said.

Coello said Mental Health Camp was largely about breaking down such a dichotomy. "You might just be a little sad, or you may have to learn how to realize that you didn't get 100 on your exam," he said.

Kumar thought the fact that Mental Health Camp came from the efforts of students was an important step in fighting off the stigma of mental health. "That's really powerful for young people to see their peers stand up and advocate that mental-health issues are important," he said.

College sophomore Catherine Coogan said she thought the discussion in the minority mental-health breakout session touched on many "interesting perspectives" related to mental-health stigma.

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