A Seton Hall University student reads about a young adult who committed suicide while at college. Through Active Minds, the university brought 1,100 backpacks to form an exhibit to bring awareness to the prevalence of suicide on college campuses.
By Shanee Frazier, Staff Writer
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Fostering a healthy and open dialog about mental health was the focal point of the Active Minds’ “Send Silence Packing” display held in the Jubilee Atrium of Seton Hall University on April 7.
“Send Silence Packing” is a nationally recognized public education exhibit featuring 1,100 backpacks, representing the number of students who die by suicide each year. The backpacks in the exhibit are donated by the families of those who have lost their lives to suicide. The backpacks include personal stories and testimonies from the families and passersby are invited to walk among the backpacks and read the stories of those who have died.
Active Minds is a national nonprofit organization that began in 2003 after Alison Malmon’s brother died by suicide. Malmon, who was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania junior at the time, said found her campus to be unsupportive in the ways that people understood and talked about mental health.
Malmon formed the student group Active Minds to address the stigma associated with mental health, and from there the organization was born.
The “Send Silence Packing” display is currently making its way through colleges in the Northeastern states, having begun at Fordham University on March 30.
In an email interview with the News-Record, Priti Shah, associate director of Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, at Seton Hall University, explained how the program was brought to campus.
“I started to become interested in Active Minds when I began working at Seton Hall. In 2012, I began working with student
leaders on campus to develop a chapter at Seton Hall. A year later, we became a provisional student organization,” Shah said. “This is actually our first official year as a student organization on campus recognized both by the university and nationally by Active Minds Inc., and I have been serving as the groups’ faculty adviser since we began three years ago.”
“Send Silence Packing” is Active Minds’ flagship program, and Shah stated that, as it is now a recognized student organization, Active Minds has had the ability to bring more programming to campus.
“Because I work at CAPS, I often have the support of our own department. This year we were provided a very generous grant by the organization Aspiring Kindness,” she said. “CAPS and Active Minds both wanted to bring this program to our campus to help raise awareness regarding mental health and suicide prevention.”
“Send Silence Packing” is designed to spread awareness about the idea that maintaining balanced mental health is equally as important as maintaining balanced physical health.
Addressing this issue on a large scale on a college campus is particularly important, as research shows that, not only is suicide the second-leading cause of death among college students and among 18 to 24 year olds, but the prevalence of serious psychological disorders is higher in all adults aged 18 or older.
These sobering statistics are exactly why the Seton Hall chapter of Active Minds and CAPS felt the need to bring the poignant suicide prevention display to campus.
“I don’t believe students, or really our society in general, are always fully aware of the impact mental illness can have. I think we pay more attention to our physical health, get regular checkups, and see a doctor if we are experiencing any physical difficulties,” Shah said. “We talk about how to be healthy physically, but we don’t often talk about how to maintain our emotional and psychological health. Given this, I think it’s only natural that students may not pay as much attention to these factors.”
Shah also believes that the stigma associated with mental illness prevents many students from seeking campus resources to help them better deal with their psychological needs.
“This is why I feel it is part of our role at CAPS and student groups is to educate the student and university community about mental health,” she said. “I believe the more openly we discuss it, and can understand the concept of mental health as part of our general health, the fewer stigmas seeking help might have.”
Student leader Deandra Gichie, who serves as the public relations and social media chairwoman for Seton Hall’s Active Minds chapter, also believes that this public display of backpacks will break down more barriers about mental health on the Seton Hall campus. In an interview with the News-Record, Gichie spoke about some of the deterrents to seeking help in times of anxiety or stress.
“I know some people are concerned about divulging things that they’ve suppressed for years, so maybe they’re unaware of the confidentiality policy that counselors have,” she said. “Scheduling can also be an issue — if a student has had a rough day and can’t speak to someone until a week or two later, it can be discouraging to go back.”
The hope of Seton Hall’s chapter of Active Minds and CAPS is that the campus as a whole will be more open to discussions around mental health and more actively seek assistance when it is needed.
“I think an exhibit like this puts names and faces to those that have been impacted by mental illness and suicide, making it difficult to ignore. Most people do not know or realize that most mental health issues are completely treatable. And a mental illness like depression, when it goes untreated, often can lead to suicide,” Shah said. “When I think about this, it makes me very sad, as you realize just how preventable suicide is if we can just be open to discussing. I hope students leave understanding more about mental health and suicide prevention — what they can do to help them or help a friend.”
Gichie echoes the same sentiment, and both are optimistic that this suicide-prevention program will open eyes and start conversations both on campus and into the community.
“These aren’t just statistics — these are people we know, who had personalities and interests and aspirations. These backpacks represent the 1,100 students who felt like they couldn’t ask for help, or didn’t know where to get help,” she said.
“I think ‘Send Silence Packing’ will encourage students and faculty alike to recognize the importance of reaching out to someone who needs help or to get help for themselves. Gaining and maintaining mental health is an important part of living. I hope people know that they aren’t alone; people do want to listen and be there for them.”
Seton Hall students can call CAPS at 973-761-9500. Anyone having suicidal thoughts or actions, should call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.