Concordia’s health services held a Mental Health Awareness Fair, on Oct.11, where their were various booths screening students for depression.
“This is the second year that the fair has been put on by health services and counseling and development,” said Nick Gazzola, a counsellor and a co-ordinator for the fair. “This is actually National Depression Day, and we need to get mental health awareness out to students.”
Gazzola estimated that as much as 15 per cent of the Concordia student body suffers from depression. “Last year over 2000 people visited the fair. We did 170 tests screening for depression and 88 showed strong symptoms of depression.
That’s not a lot, but it shows that students are concerned about their mental health,” added Gazzola.
The fair had five booths where students could pick facts and tip sheets on various subjects relating to mental health. At the depression and suicide booth, students could learn about how to help friends who are depressed, learn more about what depression is, and take a test to see if they suffer from depression.
Once they filled it out, students got a private consultation from a counseling and development counsellor.
“If the students show many of the symptoms, we recommend that they make an appointment right away with Counseling and Development for help,” said Gazzola.
Other booths included a relationship booth, which helps students learn about fair relationships, and gives tips such as how to cope with a broken heart.
According to Gazzola, it draws the second biggest amount of people, after the depression booth. A third booth dealt with stress and crisis’ and gave tips on how to cope with it. The fourth booth about self-help offered help for students who have low self- esteem. Finally, a book booth by counseling and development showed students where they could find useful reading material.
“Right now is a high period of stress because of upcoming midterms, and students should take advantage of the facilities available to help them,”added Gazzola.
“This is the second year that the fair has been put on by health services and counseling and development,” said Nick Gazzola, a counsellor and a co-ordinator for the fair. “This is actually National Depression Day, and we need to get mental health awareness out to students.”
Gazzola estimated that as much as 15 per cent of the Concordia student body suffers from depression. “Last year over 2000 people visited the fair. We did 170 tests screening for depression and 88 showed strong symptoms of depression.
That’s not a lot, but it shows that students are concerned about their mental health,” added Gazzola.
The fair had five booths where students could pick facts and tip sheets on various subjects relating to mental health. At the depression and suicide booth, students could learn about how to help friends who are depressed, learn more about what depression is, and take a test to see if they suffer from depression.
Once they filled it out, students got a private consultation from a counseling and development counsellor.
“If the students show many of the symptoms, we recommend that they make an appointment right away with Counseling and Development for help,” said Gazzola.
Other booths included a relationship booth, which helps students learn about fair relationships, and gives tips such as how to cope with a broken heart.
According to Gazzola, it draws the second biggest amount of people, after the depression booth. A third booth dealt with stress and crisis’ and gave tips on how to cope with it. The fourth booth about self-help offered help for students who have low self- esteem. Finally, a book booth by counseling and development showed students where they could find useful reading material.
“Right now is a high period of stress because of upcoming midterms, and students should take advantage of the facilities available to help them,”added Gazzola.
Students can get help on many mental health issues any day at the Counseling and Development offices on both campuses. Call 848-3575 for Loyola or 848-3565 for the Sir George Williams campus.
