All of Us holds vigil to fight stigma of suicide, mental health

Nicole Moreland lost two friends to suicide during her four years at UCLA.

One was Sam Oliver, a fourth-year economics student who died from an apparent suicide in December. Before his death, Oliver was involved in discussion panels about depression and suicide, which have continued on campus.

Moreland, a fourth-year psychology student and programming director of All of Us, said she wishes Oliver could see the impact he has had on the campus.

All of Us, a campaign under the undergraduate student government Student Wellness Commission, held a vigil Thursday night as part of a monthlong mental health awareness initiative. The series of events also included discussion panels and training sessions that aimed to address mental health issues.

During the vigil, eight students held candles and stood around the altar at Meyerhoff Park. After a moment of silence in memory of those who committed suicide, different students shared their experiences with suicide and suicidal thoughts.

Moreland said the group decided to end the month with a focus on suicide because the organizers believe it is an epidemic.

“It’s one of the leading causes of death for people our age,” she said. “Almost everyone I know has been affected by suicide somehow.”

About 113 suicides occurred on each day in 2013 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Friday, All of Us will display 113 pairs of shoes at Meyerhoff Park, representing the number of lives lost daily to suicide.

Rachel Feldman, a fourth-year psychobiology student and co-campaign manager for All of Us, said the group intended for this month’s events to create dialogue between students and encourage them to use mental health resources.

Half of all U.S. college students in 2013 experienced overwhelming stress, according to the American Psychological Association. Feldman said she thinks only 20 percent of those students seek help.

“People are afraid to go to counselors because of stigmas surrounding mental illness,” Feldman said. “We want to encourage students to seek help before mental health concerns become mental health crises.”

Campaign members hosted a cultural considerations training May 18, during which Counseling and Psychological Services therapist Nadeem Hasan led a workshop on how different communities view mental health issues. Students discussed their backgrounds and experiences with mental health, Feldman said.

“It was awesome to see people from different cultures and backgrounds share their experiences with mental health and find similarities with each other,” she added.

Feldman said that although she believes UCLA provides more resources for mental health than other schools, there is still room for improvement.

“I know that CAPS tries hard to accommodate as many students as possible, but I talk to many students who say they still can’t get a CAPS appointment for weeks, or even months,” she said.

CAPS professionals must write a referral before students under the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan can obtain additional mental health resources at the Behavioral Resource Center, Moreland said. She added she knows of students who waited two months for appointments.

“I want people to treat mental illnesses with the same urgency (with which) they treat other illnesses,” she added.

Farhan Mithani, co-campaign manager for All of Us and a fourth-year economics and biology student, said he thinks the events allowed students to share otherwise internalized experiences with mental health issues.

“I’m disappointed by the low turnout at the vigil, but it was great to have a safe space to talk about ourselves and our mental health,” Mithani said. “We don’t get to do that often, as busy UCLA students.”

At the end of the vigil, all students raised their candles and promised to fight to end what they called the stigma surrounding mental illness.