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Why Active Minds?

Mental Illness and the College Population: The Issue

  • Young adults aged 18-24 have the highest prevalence of diagnosable forms of mental health disorders in the whole population at 27%
  • Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for college students
  • 95% of college students who die by suicide suffer from a mental health disorder, usually depression; and if depressed, substance abuse, anxiety, impulsivity, rage, hopelessness and desperation increase the risk
  • 1 out of every 12 college students has made a suicide plan
  • 17% of college students practice self-injurious behavior
  • Half of all adults with depression report onset before age 20
  • 75% of people with schizophrenia develop the disease between the ages 15-25
  • Researchers estimate that 20-30% of college aged women may display bulimic behavior
  • University Counseling Centers are overwhelmed by the combination of high demand and constrained budgets, and many have had to cut their outreach programs to simply accommodate student visits.
  • University administrations recognize the potential mental health problems that face their students, and are scrounging to find an answer to the threat of student suicide on campus

Active Minds offers a solution to this problem. Student advocacy lessens the demand on Counseling Centers, and capitalizes on the role of peers to make students aware of their mental health and where they can go for help, before it reaches a tragic stage.

How is Active Minds Organized?
Active Minds, Inc. is the national headquarters for all Active Minds chapters. The headquarters is located in Washington, DC, with chapters on college campuses across the country. Each chapter is affiliated with Active Minds, Inc., but also obtains status as a student organization on its campus.

Who are Active Minds' Partners?
We have developed organizational partnerships with the following organizations and programs:

We also work closely with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Association of American Colleges and Universities, National Association of Sudent Personnel Administrators, and National Mental Health Awareness Campaign

The Active Minds Vision
To destigmatize mental health disorders by promoting open, enlightened discussion of mental health; and to create a better life for all who suffer. To capitalize on the energy and dedication of young adults in the fight against the stigma that surrounds mental health disorders, and to educate, enlighten, and empower all young adults to ensure their own mental health before it ever reaches a tragic stage.

Active Minds' Guiding Values

  • Active Minds believes that all young adults have the right to understand their own minds.
  • We know that mental health disorders are nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to be kept secret.
  • We understand the value of taking care of one's own, and watching out for one's friends’, mental health and seeking help as soon as it is needed.
  • We believe in the power of peer advocacy, and the strength that young adults have to break down the walls of silence and the stigma that surrounds mental health disorders.

"Mental disorders are real illnesses that are as disabling and serious as cancers and heart disease in terms on premature death and lost productivity. Few Americans are untouched by mental illness, whether it occurs within one's family or among neighbors, co-workers or members of the community" - Former Surgeon General David Satcher, 1999