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MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE 2021
WEEK OF MONDAY, MARCH 15
Students reflect on a year of Zoom CLARA UTTENTHAL Staff Writer
March 17 will mark the one-year anniversary of Cal State Fullerton’s temporary suspension of the majority of in-person classes. Since then, the sound of the school bell was replaced by Zoom’s chime, bedrooms became the frame for classrooms and the campus parking lots have seen a level of availability like never before. In alignment with guidance from the Cal State University’s Chancellor’s Office and public health officials, the suspension of in-person classes was set to end on April 26 last year, but was later extended until May 22, 2020. “With classes and deadlines and all that, I feel like the professors actually became a lot more lenient with everything going on. They actually took in consideration everyone else’s mental health and mental state and they did a good job reaching out to students,” said Christiani Aquino, a communications major at CSUF. Aquino said that he was struggling with one class in particular due to the online transition and not being in the right headspace, but he was positively surprised about fellow class students’ support. “My classmates, even my professors, reached out to me asking ‘Hey, are you okay? Are you fine?’ I think it’s really touching to see,” Aquino said. Savannah J. Montoya, a CSUF student double-majoring in English and psychology, was in class when she received the widespread email from CSUF President Fram Virjee about the transition to virtual instruction. “I remember being a bit shocked and a little bit in denial. I remember still having my alarm on my phone to get up to go to class because I tend to sign up for morning classes. I had it on and I got up and was like, ‘wait a minute, I don’t need to get up this early anymore,’” Montoya said. While it took some getting used to, Montoya said she applauds professors’ efforts to keep classes running smoothly online. She said that being stuck at home has made her ref lect and has taught her valuable life aspects. “I learned a lot about people, about the way they respond when they’re in a crisis and the struggles they go through, and how they kind of come together when situations are not ideal,” Montoya said. Montoya is graduating this summer and said that while she is glad she doesn’t have to sit in the boiling sun for hours at commencement, it’s a bittersweet ending to an important milestone. “All of those years of working towards getting the piece of paper, it
ONE YEAR ON ZOOM PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CLARA UTTENTHAL / DAILY TITAN
really just feels like a piece of paper since you can’t have the normal way of receiving it,” Montaya said about completing her undergraduate education. Seleena Mukbel, vice chair of the Associated Students’ board of directors, said she was initially pessimistic about everything being online as she saw a decline in member engagement at club events and felt unmotivated by Zoom meetings. However, Mukbel said the pandemic has not been all bad for her. Due to the transition to virtual instruction, she was able to get an internship outside of the local community, which otherwise would not have been possible with her busy schedule and long commute between her hometown and Fullerton. Mukbel also said that she has formed good relationships with students she had never met in person. “I kind of realised everything has solutions,” Mukbel said. “It’s important to just kind of let go of being a strict planner of things and just kind of going with the f low a lot and being okay with what happens in the future and being okay with what happens naturally.”
3 Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury WEEK OF MONDAY, MARCH 15
Ensuring personal wellness extends beyond performative practices. MADELINE GRAY Editor
Spa days, exercise, relaxing vacations and skin care. These are some common activities that people might think of when self-care comes to mind. It has developed a bit of a shallow reputation due to its online presence depicting these seemingly vapid or performative pastimes, causing them to almost become synonymous with the resurgence of the self-care phenomenon. Self-care is defined as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider,” according to the World Health Organization. The WHO also recognizes the inclusion of nutrition, hygiene, lifestyle, environmental and social factors in the self-care concept. Despite this broad definition, the idea of self-care has taken on a more materialistic image in the past few years, especially on social media platforms. There
are currently over 43 million Instagram posts with the hashtag #selfcare showing promotional advertisements of skin care products with aesthetically pleasing photos of journals and even food videos. In today’s age, many have misperceived the idea of self-care through the lens of continuously taking part in these indulgent and materialistic behaviors. Yet, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This flashy version of mental health care is hurting people rather than helping them reach the inner growth they so desperately seek through the purchasing of products and services. These per for mative self-care activities usually cater to instant gratification instead of long-lasting benefits to one’s mental state. Caring for yourself isn’t always about bubble baths and face masks. It’s about being truthful with what you need and making decisions to help your future. While treating yourself to
MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE 2021
relaxing activities that you enjoy can be a nice break from your stressful days, indulging yourself too often can border on extremely selfish behavior. Self-care is about bettering yourself so you can be of service
CINDY PROAÑO / DAILY TITAN
to others, said Maria Baratta, licensed clinical psychologist, in an interview with USA Today. “Narcissism is about putting the self first, but not in a way that benefits anyone
but the self,” Baratta said. Whether it’s saving your energy or making smart choices, practicing non-materialistic self-care can help you to feel less burnt out and keep you from avoiding looking after your health, which could result in physical ailments. Even if self-care means putting on your coziest pajamas and having a movie marathon after a hectic workday, simple practices like these shouldn’t be deemed indulgent. Every individual should assess what practices can be most helpful to their own personal wellbeing. “Self-care is often about having the sel f-k nowledge and psychological flexibility to make what’s the best choice for you overall, which may be different at different times,” said psychologist Alice Boyes in an article from Psychology Today. The act of self-care can look different depending on the person, Boyes said. From pushing yourself to step out of your comfort
zone to hopping in bed and taking a refreshing nap, your self-care ritual is subject to change. Taking part in self-care means recognizing what habits will be most beneficial. While self-care is not one particular activity or practice, it does not revolve around outward displays of glowing skin or luxurious outings. Caring for yourself should make you feel good about yourself without having to splurge on an expensive face wash or nice clothes. The most helpful form of self-care will benefit from what’s on the inside. People who have been neglecting their self-care can begin by following some tips to get them thinking about prioritizing their mental health and physical health. Living a healthy lifestyle, connecting with friends, discovering ways to relax, practicing good hygiene and doing something enjoyable each day can all help, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit organization. At its core, self-care is a necessary practice in order to check in with ourselves. It’s imperative to rethink the ways that we take part in self-care for it to help us through the ups and downs of each individual’s mental health journey.
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WEEK OF MONDAY, MARCH 15
MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE 2021
Redefining the mental health language Students can use personcentered phrases to address illnesses. TAYLOR ARREY Editor
Language has built the foundation for how people see the world. The power of words influences our emotions, beliefs and perceptions of reality, especially regarding mental health issues and those who experience it. A 2013 study published by the American Psychological Association found that 41.6% of college students experience anxiety, 24.5% take psychotropic medications and 40% experience mild mental health concerns. Language plays a significant role in determining how mental health is addressed and learning it can help students
better understand mental illness and foster constructive discourse. “How we talk about it is really how we feel about it,” said Myesha Dunn, a faculty crisis counselor from Cal State Fullerton’s Counseling and Psychological Services, also known as CAPS. “You don’t know who is experiencing some struggles. You have no idea, so I think language is super super important, and we need to be really sensitive about it, nowadays especially, now that people are really opening up, getting services.” A common mistake that people make when discussing mental health is identifying others by their illnesses. Mental Health America calls this an illness-centered approach to language. Phrases like “the schizophrenic,
the mentally-ill, psycho, crazy and lunatic” make mental illness the subject and reduce a person’s identity to
that illness. “I think when we don’t see people as people first and foremost, we’re not being fair essentially,” said Nicole Enrique, a CAPS faculty counselor. To move away from illness-centered language, students can use person-centered language instead. This phrasing places focus on the individual and acknowledges that while their illness is a part of them, it does not define them. In an article titled “Person-Centered Language” published by the Center for Practice Transformation, by Kathryn Hyams, Natalie Prater, Julie Rohovit and Piper Meyer-Kalos, they said that people can make this chang by substituting certain terms for person-centered phrases. For example, instead of saying “mentally ill,” say “person with a mental illness.” This subtle change can ensure that speakers are engaging with someone on a personal level. Using deficit-based language can cause people to address others as though their illness is the most important part of their personality. According to the Center for Practice Transformation, this can happen with practitioners who characterize their patients with terms like “junkie,” ultimately resulting in discriminatory and ineffective care. It’s also important to
understand that mental illnesses present differently for everyone, so a lack of knowledge and understanding can stigmatize it further. According to Enrique, pop culture sometimes adopts phrases about mental health and redefines them in ways that are not always accurate. “It’s interesting how pop culture really takes certain phrases and almost gives it a new meaning that sometimes is pretty far removed from how we would use it in a clinical setting,” Enrique said. It’s this reason that students should be careful about using words like “bipolar,” “depressed” and “addict,” because while they may mean them in a lighthearted context, the misuse of these words can perpetuate false information and generalizations about the experiences of people with those illnesses, according to the Seattle Children’s organization. “Sometimes, it’s just not accurate, and it’s totally an over-exaggeration and it’s totally about pop culture and what the ‘now’ thing to say to somebody, ‘’ Dunn said. “Don’t use language that you’re not licensed, trained or experienced to use at the end of the day.” According to Everymind, a national institute dedicated to mental health and well-being, using phrases like “suffering from” or “victim” suggests that a person who is mentally ill experiences a lack of quality of life, which is not
always the case. Mental well-being has become synonymous with the idea of what it means to be “normal.” However, normalcy does not have a clear definition, and assuming that someone is “not normal” because of their psychological well-being can cause people to feel defensive about their experiences, according to Health Partners. Dunn and Enrique both said that instead of using terms like “normal,” they prefer to frame it as being “healthy” or “unhealthy.” “I think about terms like ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal,’ and they just seem like traits or characteristics rather than how we as mental health professionals tend to see this,” Enrique said. “The reality is one in five U.S. adults have some type of mental health concern at any given year. That’s a lot of people, and to try to label that many people as ‘abnormal,’ that doesn’t seem to fit.” Above all else, Enrique said that students looking to foster better mental health discourse should approach the subject with curiosity, authenticity, respect and an open mind. “We’re talking to people. You’re talking to your friends. You’re talking to your classmates maybe and just remembering that ‘I want to honor the human being that I’m sitting with, and I want to make sure I’m being respectful even if I am genuinely curious about their experiences,’” Enrique said.
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MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE 2021
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Over 37,000 students use virtual resource KIM PHAM Asst. Editor
Over 37,000 students have created profiles on YOU@ Fullerton, the virtual and confidential self-help resource platform, out of a student population of nearly 40,000, said Kevin Thomas, associate director of counseling and psychological services. In addition to the student profiles, over 1,400 staff and faculty members have also created accounts, which increases the chances of this resource reaching the students. Vincent Vigil, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, and Thomas gave a presentation on the resource at the academic senate meeting on Thursday. YOU@Fullerton is catered specifically toward Cal State Fullerton students, providing various articles and activities for mental health check-ins and general student wellness, all of which are only a click away. “There are articles, resources, videos for students on all aspects of student life. It’s primarily founded under mental health and wellness, but it expands much further than that so there are pieces of how to be a successful student,” Thomas said. The three core values acting as the driving force behind this initiative are to succeed, thrive and matter, with each value targeting a different sector of student life, such as finance or academics under “succeed” or identity under “matter.” In addition to regularly updating the site with the usual how-to article or goal-setting reminder, Vigil and Thomas wanted students to feel more comfortable using campus resources by initially looking for help on their own, without the pressure or effort of meeting someone in person. “I think we have known for a while that there are some students we try to get into CAPS and not everybody tries to come into CAPS and so I think YOU@Fullerton’s been a great example of we’ll try to reach them where they’re at,” Thomas said. “Because of stigma, because of culture, because of different issues, because of whatever is going on for students, they may not want to. But the hope is
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YOU@Fullerton is devoted to helping the Cal State Fullerton students and faculty.
The hope is through this platform they might be able to get the help that they need.”
KEVIN THOMAS CAPS Associate Director through this platform they might be able to get the help that they need.” Thomas said that the website’s most active hours are from midnight to 4 a.m., which is when CAPS is closed as they only operate Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Similarly, Vigil said that while professors like himself want to serve the students, they are not always available, especially outside of their normal work hours. Fortunately, this platform is available after regular business hours. Since the content on YOU@Fullerton is curated, researched, evidence-based and catered toward college life, students can also browse more safely and confidently than if they were to do a basic Google search. “I’ve always heard from faculty that they care so much about their students and they want to help them in any way they can,” Thomas said. “I want to give them everything I can and I think being able to have this additional resource that faculty can start sharing with students to be able to have this or be integrated or talked about during classes, I think is a really great way.” YOU@Fullerton is one of 12 CSU campuses participating in a two-year pilot program for the YOU@College platform, a confidential, personalized and digitized wellness resource created by behavioral health experts to provide students with content tailored to their unique needs. The CSU Chancellor’s Office was looking for a new way to address student wellness, specifically mental health. When YOU@College asked to pilot the program on the CSU campuses’ diverse populations, CSUF was selected as a pilot institution. “We have a very diverse student population and typically
when you’re a first-generation college student from a diverse background, counseling or mental health resources are something that you don’t really talk about, like you don’t talk about in your household. Your parents don’t talk to you about going to go see a counselor a lot of times,” Vigil said. As a first-generation college student who has experienced this firsthand, Vigil said he hopes that this platform will serve those students especially to get the professional help that they need and to act as a pathway for those students to start learning about mental health. Even though the platform was initially designed to be a virtual tool, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of last year accelerated the necessity for its debut. “When the pandemic happened, we were able to launch YOU and that’s when everything was going to the virtual modality. So having YOU as a tool within our toolkit, within CAPS, was excellent. The timing just kind of worked pretty well so we rushed the publicity and rushed YOU to get out there with our students when COVID happened,” Vigil said.
YOU@Fullerton is open 24/7. (Miranda Lombrana / Daily Titan)
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MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE 2021
WEEK OF MONDAY, MARCH 15
Media skews transgender identity By introducing more accurate and meaningful portrayals, these industries can diminish hate speech, violence and mental anguish. KENNEDI LOPES Editor
Transgender individuals have been depicted and distorted in the media since the emergence of film and television. However, with its frequent misuse of transgender characters in films ranging from “Silence of the Lambs” to “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” the film industry has painted a severely damaging picture of the transgender community. Misrepresentation of the trans community has become so normalized in the media that it may go unrecognized by cisgender audiences who do not feel its sting. However, it is crucial for these viewers to understand what this misrepresentation looks like and the impacts it has on trans people’s mental health. According to a 2015 study of transgender adults from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, 51% of participants attempted suicide in the last year, 98% considered committing suicide after experiencing four instances of discrimination and violence in the last year and 30% attempted suicide after being physically attacked in the last year. These statistics are not coincidental or random. The portrayal of transgender characters in media strongly influences the way cisgender people view the trans community, and how members of the trans community views themselves. Without adequate representation in film and television, transgender people are subject to depression, anxiety and psychological distress, as revealed in a 2021 publication by the peer-reviewed journal LGBT Health. In a 2020 interview on the “Kelly Clarkson Show”, actress Laverne Cox spoke about her recent film “Disclosure,” a documentary analyzing trans misrepresentation in film and distinguishing the media’s responsibility for shaping the way society views trans people. Multiple scenes in the documentary focus on studies from GLAAD, an American media-monitoring organization in protest of discrimination and defamation of LGBTQ+ people. “GLAAD did a study a few years ago that found that 80% of Americans claimed to not personally know someone who’s transgender,” Cox said. “So everything that Americans learn about transgender people, for the most part, they learn from the media.” With such a large portion of society only having film and television to teach them about the trans community, filmmakers who refuse to offer meaningful representation hold responsibility for the hate speech and violence against transgender individuals and the consequent decline in mental health among members of the trans community. One unfortunate constant in film and television is the depiction of transgender men and women as deviants, criminals and murderers. In “Silence of the Lambs,” the infamous transgender serial killer, Buffalo Bill,
kidnapped, murdered and skinned women to make suits out of their bodies. In “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” Lois Einhorn, a psychotic football player turned police lieutenant turned dolphin kidnapper, was discovered to be transgender when Ventura stripped her of her clothes in front of the entire police force, prompting nearly all of them to spit in disgust. Another common trope for transgender characters is that all or most of them are sex workers. In “Disclosure,” Nick Adams, director of trans media and representation for GLAAD, said, “GLAAD took a look at 134 episodes of television where a transgender character was brought on just to be a guest star character, and what we found in those portrayals was that the most common profession shown for a transgender character was sex worker.” While some trans individuals are sex workers, the media portrays the instance overwhelmingly. This limits trans actors to the same role repeatedly and denies viewers a wider scope of careers and lifestyles for trans characters. Despite the media offering more accurate and heartfelt storylines for transgender characters in recent years, the lack of transgender actors playing these roles can seriously impact transgender audiences and how they perceive themselves. Such instances of cisgender actors playing transgender characters include Hillary Swank’s performance as Brandon Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry,” Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe in “The Danish Girl” and Jared Leto as Rayon in “Dallas Buyers Club.” All three received Oscar nominations for these roles, and two of them won. These stories have offered complex, heartfelt storylines for trans characters, but they fall short by denying trans actors the roles. Instead, it is cisgender people who have been awarded for highlighting trauma that is not theirs. These performances are executed well and portrayed realistically, but the films’ casting insinuates that being trans is a role, not an identity. In “Disclosure,” actress and writer Jen Richards said, “The public thinks of trans women as men with really good hair and makeup in costume.” The harsh distinction between transgender characters and the cisgender actors who play them enforces the idea that transgender women are not “real” women and transgender men are not “real” men. While recent shows like “Pose” and “Euphoria” battle this notion by casting trans actors and offering their characters stories of substance, not one or the other, these few glimpses of hope are dimmed by the amount of misrepresentation in past films and television shows and the amount of time it has taken for trans individuals to be taken seriously. With the media evidently influencing the attitudes towards the transgender community, filmmakers hold a responsibility to encourage openness, acceptance and understanding of those whose identities stretch beyond the gender binary. This newfound representation might deplete discrimination and violence against trans individuals and improve mental well-being in the trans community.
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MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE 2021
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Column: Breaking generational barriers Starting a conversation about mental health in a Mexican household can feel like an impossible task, but it’s necessary for growth.
of Latinx students, according to Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Communications who conducted a study on the Cal State Fullerton community. While it is not a cure, positive social support from family does help you feel less KARINA GUTIERREZ Editor isolated and I achieved, at least a sliver, of it. Although older generations are less likely to be open-minded, my very Mexican Trying to get a traditional Mexican household to acknowledge the importance of grandparents became a lot more understanding than people 30 years their junior. This mental health can feel like trying to break a curse. It’s like a jinx that has may be due to my grandma’s constant attempts to wear me down, as she been weaved through generations, masked by religion and left to soon realized it was futile when I chopped off my long brown hair, the children of immigrants to crack open. the standard for Mexican beauty, and wore baggy clothes — My grandparents and mom immigrated from a rural something she simply hated. farm in Mexico to the bustling city of Los Angeles Despite that, she came to accept and love me for in the ‘90s, and living with them means that carwho I was, no matter my hair color. This became rying generational baggage is an expectation. more true after my grandparents saw me in a But I have found that constant communicadeep depressive episode. tion and assurance helped me pry open a They saw how every single task was a sealed bag of emotions that my family has chore. They saw how scraggly my hair been carrying around for centuries. was from not brushing it because I just The Latinx community faces unique couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed. barriers to mental health assistance such They saw how hard it was for me to as language, stigma and legal status that simply exist. directly impacts insurance coverage, The biggest attitude shift came when according to the National Alliance on my mom witnessed me have a severe Mental Illness. More than half of young panic attack. She knew that I experiadults ages 18-25 do not receive treatment enced them quite often, but after watchfor their mental illnesses. ing me struggle to breathe and fight my The Latinx culture tends to be private. It’s way back to reality, she finally undera culture that rarely talks about their own isstood that it was something that we couldn’t sues at home but loves to gossip about others. ignore. The phrase “la ropa sucia se lava en casa” is emAlthough it’s unfortunate that my fami(PH bedded in the community which makes it difficult to ly had to see me at my most vulnerable, a state OT OI talk to others, even specialists, about mental health for that I wish no one would experience, it did allow us LLU STR fear of being labeled “crazy.” to open that dialogue. They accepted that my mental ATIO N BY K ARINA GUTIERREZ) My family is not exempt from this kind of behavior. Often, health was something that I will have to deal with for the rest they would tell me to keep going or “echale ganas” when I felt stuck. of my life, and they wanted to support me through every stage of this They would tell me that they felt the way I did, which was a way to belittle both of our expedition to good health. struggles. Now, I openly speak to them about my emotions. I tell them about how stressful life When their words of “encouragement” were not enough, they would tell me to pray can get; they reciprocate and there is no judgement. and while it might have worked for them, it absolutely did not work for me. Faith It’s important to note that this journey was not easy. I did not begin to communicommunities can also be a source of stress if they are not well-informed or do not cate my feelings until things got really bad, and I am still trying to break down those know how to handle mental health situations, according to National Alliance on Men- barriers. Progress has been made, but there is a lot more work that needs to be done. tal Illness. For now, I know that I am setting an example for others in my family to care for Social support from friends and family also plays a critical role in the mental health their own mental health, and with that, the curse can be lifted.