RIT Women and mental health

Data from the 2019 Healthy Minds Study conducted by Higher Education Today found that student mental health has become a bigger priority on campuses now than it was three years ago according to eight out of 10 college presidents. At Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), The Task Force on Mental Health and Well-Being states there has been a 50% increase in students being diagnosed and/or getting treatment for mental health from 2014-2017. More than twice of college women (15.2%) have reported experiencing both depression and anxiety compared to men (7.2%) according to ACHA-NCHA. This project shares the personal stories of different female students at RIT who live with a variety of mental health conditions through a series of portraits. These portraits are accompanied by a still life that demonstrates the activities and interests that help these women ease their minds and manage their mental health.

Christie Agbalessi Is A Fourth Year Electrical Engineering Student From Ivory Coast, West Africa. “I Was Diagnosed With Depression In 2019 But I’ve Sort Of Known I Had Depression My Whole Life. My Family Did Not Believe In Depression. They Would Say That It Is A ‘White People’ Thing. They Would Say I’m Just Sad. I Had A Lot Of Self-Questioning And Isolated Myself. It’s A Lot Easier To Talk To People About It In America Though. There Are A Lot Of Things I Do To Help With My Depression. Sometimes I Go On Walks, I’ll Do Zumba And I Also Love To Cook. I Like Cooking All Kinds Of Dishes But I Love Asian Food! It Takes My Mind Away From What I’m Thinking And Helps Me Focus On What I’m Making. I’ve Made So Many Different Dishes Since Coming To America”.

Elizabeth Van Laeken Is A First Year Student Double Majoring In Political Science And Economics. “I Have Depression, Anxiety, And A Panic Disorder. I Tend To Feel Hopeless And Doubtful. My Panic Disorder Use To Happen A Lot In My Sleep And I Feel Like I’m Stuck In My Dream. Like If I Got Shot In My Dream, I Would Wake Up And Have A Huge Pain Where It Happened. It’s Kind Of Like An Irrational Fear Now But It Pulls Me From Reality Which Would Make Me More Empathetic. Sometimes I Say ‘I Just Want To Play Violin’. I Want To Play Something That Takes All Of My Mental Energy. I Definitely Play Things Based On My Emotions. So If I’m Angry, I’ll Play Some Really Aggressive Violin. I Also Really Like Journaling. It Helps A Lot".

Circle Cole Is A Third Year Student From New Jersey Who Has Not Yet Declared Her Major. “I Have A Lot Of Unknown Health Problems But I Do Have Photosensitive Epilepsy. I Found Out I Have Epilepsy About 3-4 Months Ago. I Have Convulsive Seizures, So Sometimes I Can’t Talk And Lose My Memory. Sometimes, I’ll Just Space Out. I Had Problems In Class But None Of The Doctors Believed Me. I Was The Outsider Kid, So I Wondered ‘Do I Have To Equate Myself To Everyone On The Planet?’ Doing Art, Watching Videos, And Listen To Music Helps Me A Lot. Playing Loud Music And Doing Art Means That My Audio And Visual Cortex Are Stimulated. I Like To Paint, Ink, Watercolor, Etc. I Usually Have Loud, Constant Music Playing. So, Anything Going On Around Me Can Effect The Art That I Do”.

Freya Diermayr Is A First-Year NTID Student From Denmark Who Is Majoring In Photography. “I Have Scitzotypo Disorder. I Was Also Diagnosed With OCD, PTSD, Mood Disorder, Depression, Severe Anorexia, And Body Dysmorphia. Right Now, I’m 5’5” And 80 Pounds. I Think A Lot Of It Comes From The Issues With My Mom. My Mom Was Bipolar And A Heroin Addict, So We Just Never Connected. I’m Very Self-Conscious And Strange, Like I Don’t Feel Attached. Sometimes, I Feel Like A Dragon Living In This World Creating My Own Magic. The Process Of It And The Feeling Of Immersion And Like Truly Getting The History Of Film Photography Is Like Driving A Manual Car Versus An Automatic Car. My Film Class Has Really Opened My Eyes To How Much I Love The Development Process. Being Able To Print Things Myself And Seeing My Own Mistakes Is Really Fun. I Started Making Self Portraits Too. Like My First Self Portrait Was The First Time I Went To The Hospital And I Just Had So Much Free-Time, So I Thought ‘Why Not?’ Taking My Medicine Really Helps Because It Helps Me Focus And Not Be In My Head As Much”.

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