Student organizations are centering the conversation around mental health awareness for National Suicide Prevention Month.

UAB’s chapter of Active Minds is an organization that advocates for mental health among the college community. 

Vani Mittal, Active Minds member and junior in biology and public health, said Active Minds aims to create an atmosphere that encourages a dialogue around mental health.

“We mainly focus on destigmatizing mental health and we do that through a lot of different ways,” Mittal said.

Mittal said Active Minds has several events on the horizon, including a session on how to ease anxiety around climate change, Covid-19 and how the arts can improve mental health.

“Every month we pick a different theme,” Mittal said. “September is Suicide Prevention Month so our theme is art and suicide prevention. We talk about how art can be a helpful coping technique and we also shed light on suicide prevention awareness.”

Ritika Samant, sophomore in neuroscience and member of active minds, said events for National Suicide Prevention Month are some of her favorites. Last year, Active Minds placed paper cranes on UAB’s Green to honor college students who died by suicide.

“This year what we have planned is a community art piece where we are going to spell out hope on a (canvas) and then have people put hand prints,” Samant said. “Annually, 1,100 college students on average die by suicide. We want to collect that many handprints and it will be a hope in the darkness kind of message.”

Samant said this is an event Active Minds hopes to put on in a partnership with Student Counselling services. 

Mittal said Active Minds aims to one day host another Men in Mental Health Panel, one of the many events Active Minds hosts to spread awareness of emotional wellbeing.

“We had people who identify as male come and speak about their experience as a member of the male community struggling with their mental health and experiences with their mental health,” Mittal said. “It’s very stigmatized sometimes with men that they have to be masculine and they can’t care about how they’re feeling.”

Mittal said it’s important for all people to feel comfortable expressing emotions and discussing mental health. 

In addition to student organizations that promote mental health awareness, UAB Cares (https://www.uab.edu/uabcares/) offers resources to students and employees.