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College Students Promote Mental Health Awareness During National Stress Øut Day
SILVER SPRING, Md. (April 8, 2008) — In two weeks college students will participate in National Stress Øut Day, a nationwide effort sponsored by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and Active Minds to provide pre-finals stress relief and educate students about the difference between everyday anxiety and an anxiety disorder or other mental illness.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems on college campuses. Forty million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them experience their first episode of anxiety by age 22.
National Stress Øut Day reminds students to take care of their mental health, an important reminder in light of a recent survey that found 80 percent of college students say they frequently or sometimes experience daily stress. The Associated Press and mtvU survey also found that 34 percent of students have felt depressed at some point in the past three months, 13 percent have been diagnosed with a mental health condition such as an anxiety disorder or depression, and 9 percent have seriously considered suicide in the past year.
National Stress Øut Day will be held during the week of April 21-25; each participating campus can choose a specific day. Students will engage in activities aimed to relieve pre-finals stress while reducing the stigma around mental health disorders which can prevent students from seeking treatment.
Additional support for National Stress Øut Day is provided by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Colleges participating in National Stress Øut Day
American University |
Ohio State University |
Boston University |
Our Lady of the Lake University |
Bryn Mawr College |
Regis University |
Cal State Chico |
Sacred Heart University |
Cal State Long Beach |
Simon Fraser University |
Cleveland State University |
Southern Utah University |
College of St. Catherine |
Texas Christian University |
Collin College |
UCLA |
Colorado State University |
University of Colorado - Colorado Springs |
Columbia University |
University of Florida |
Community College of Baltimore County |
University of Nebraska - Kearney |
Creighton University |
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill |
Dartmouth College |
University of North Carolina - Greensboro |
Denison University |
University of North Florida |
Emory University |
University of Pennsylvania |
Georgia Tech |
University of Pittsburgh - Bradford |
Gettysburg College |
University of South Florida |
Grand Valley State University |
University of Texas - Brownsville |
Lafayette College |
University of Windsor |
Mercyhurst College |
Western Oregon University |
Northern Illinois University |
Yeshiva University |
About the Anxiety Disorders Association of America
The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness and improving the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of anxiety disorders through education and research. ADAA offers free educational information and resources about anxiety disorders, local treatment providers, self-help groups, self-tests, clinical trials, and more. ADAA promotes the message that anxiety disorders are real, serious, and treatable.
About Active Minds
Active Minds, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in Washington, D.C., that develops and supports chapters of student organizations that work to promote mental health education and awareness on college campuses across North America. The organization has been featured in national media such as CNN, The Washington Post,The New York Times, and Glamour Magazine and has been recognized by national organizations for its innovative and dedicated programming aimed at addressing the stigma that surrounds mental illness among college students. Alison Malmon started the organization after her older brother, a college-aged student,died by suicide in 2000.
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