While this video was short, it had an extremely strong message. Sangu spoke of the stigmatization of mental health issues in Africa, but I think it is the same in many communities in the U.S. as well. When I was growing up, no one ever talked about a person's mental health. If you did hear it mentioned, you thought of crazy people who were institutionalized. I have a daughter with diagnosed anxiety. From going to her therapy sessions, talking with her, and doing research, I am positive I have anxiety too. When I was growing up I was told "you are overly dramatic. It's not as bad as you are making it. Get over it". That is NOT the type of message I want to convey to my students. I openly talk about my mental health, my daughter's anxiety, my sister's drug addiction. I want my students to know that they are not alone. Sangue states, "We need to see mental health as important as physical health"...I couldn't agree more.
