Sam Elford, Viktoria Prsa and Aleksandra Iliev set up a booth on Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by excessive and irrational worry about everyday life events. Photo via Charlize A.
On Wednesday, May 9, For Mental Health Awareness Week, St Joseph’s held a Mental Health Expo in the atrium. Students from Mrs' Isabella's Anthropology/Psychology/Sociology class had a goal: to remove the stigma surrounding mental health. They set up booths with information about different types of mental illness. Each booth had PSAs and poster boards/brochures that listed symptoms, risk factors, places to get help, etc. Teachers were invited to bring their classes to be informed about various mental illnesses.
The Mental Health Expo not only provided a plethora of information, but had diverse representation as well. Some of the mental illness talked about were Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and ones that aren't as well known, such as Munchausen syndrome.
Charlize Alcaraz, Quennie Delotavo and Diana Aldea set up a booth on Stockholm Syndrome. Stockholm syndrome is where a captive begins to closely identify with their captor. Photo via Charlize A.
Overall, this year's Mental Health Expo was successful in educating fellow students about mental health and breaking its stigma. Thank you to Mrs. Isabella for hosting this informative and successful event.