It was a bright and beautiful morning as our Send Silence Packing truck pulled up to the sidewalk at University of California, Irvine. With a dedicated group of smiling volunteers, Active Minds chair Alexandria, and advisor Jasmine, we started setting up the display at 8AM on the dot. Though our allotted backpack spaces were a bit of a challenge, we nevertheless had a great event and spoke with hundreds of students, faculty, and visitors about Active Minds and mental health.

Homework can wait a few more minutes...

One case particularly struck me, and it was that of Owen, a local who happened upon the display and was brought to our resource tables by a volunteer. He really wanted to share his story, so before writing a long entry in our traveling journal (our large, bound book brought to each stop to capture the written reactions and thoughts of display visitors), he sat down and talked to me about his journey.

Owen explained that he had gone to UCLA in the 90s and had become depressed after a breakup with his long-term girlfriend. “I was depressed and felt I had no one to reach out to. I turned to substances, overusing alcohol and drugs to combat everything, but it only made it worse.“ He felt that he was alone, and that no one knew what he was going through.

Pondering the display

“Though I was a substance abuser, drugs only made everything harder…they were really just a temporary screen that actually made everything worse in the long run. I felt so isolated, and had no one to reach out to. I actually thought about suicide a lot just to stop the pain.”

Owen explained that he sought help with his school’s psychological services, which took him in. After more than five years of intense counseling, the depression lifted off of him. “I had counseling, and in addition, I learned to meditate, and I got clean and sober.” He now leads a normal, happy life, and is so thankful that awareness programs like Send Silence Packing exist. Owen only wishes such awareness had been around when he and his classmates needed it.

Reading before class

He showed amazing strength in asking for help when he knew he was in trouble. And when times were tough, he stuck through it, staying in counseling and reaching out to people who could help him. This story, along with quite a few others we heard at Irvine, really touched us all. In fact, groups of peer educators, counseling center interns, and many counseling staff members on duty all had interesting and valuable one-on-one conversations with students and others throughout the day. We even had help from the members of Spoken Word at Irvine, and they performed during the lunch hour right near the display.

Spoken Word performed some powerful speeches at the event

Volunteering and performing? Now that's dedication!

All of our help was great, but it was several of our dedicated volunteers who made the day so enjoyable. One had never heard of Active Minds until her friend, an Irvine chapter member, told her about it. “I’m volunteering today and now I really want to join!” she exclaimed. She ended up volunteering for the entire duration of the event. After so many sign-ups and so much new interest, we’re sure the chapter will continue to do more great work on campus.

Studying the display

We heard so many stories of struggle at Irvine, but for the thousands of students who pass through at each stop, and for all those who stop to learn more, we believe we’re working to make struggling alone a problem of the past. The folks at UCI are working hard to create an open dialogue about mental health issues, and they’re doing a fantastic job!

Owen truly summed up our Irvine day best.  “I got help, and I’m fine now,” he said. “There is hope.”