In an era in which many college-aged people feel the need to project images of a happy, put-together life on social media or even just to their friends, people who don’t feel their lives fit that mold can begin to feel downcast and isolated. Perhaps the worst part about mental illness is this loneliness, the feeling that one is alone in their trials and that their peers won’t understand just how much these issues are affecting them. But according to the American Psychological Association, up to 42% of college students suffer from anxiety, and 37% from depression.

The goal of this project is to start talking about mental illness and normalize discussions about our mental health. These brave people of the SJU community who have chosen to share their stories with us have done so in an attempt to erase stigma surrounding mental illness and remind us that anybody could be struggling, regardless of academic major, age, or background. The hope is that these stories will make an impact on those who choose to hear to them, and that those people will go on to either share their own or be open to others’. Start listening. Start talking.