Campaign to Change Direction seeks to teach the Five Signs of emotional suffering

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana to participate in the Campaign to Change Direction, a national public health campaign to help every Hoosier learn the Five Signs of emotional suffering.

The campaign is focused on changing the culture of mental health and teaching people the critical signals that signify someone is hurting emotionally and might need help. The message of the Five Signs creates a common language that helps people talk more openly and freely about mental health.

According to the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, 20 percent of adults in Indiana have experienced mental illness, with 4 percent having thoughts of suicide. Twelve percent of Hoosier youths had at least one depressive episode in the past year.

“Purdue is striving to change the culture surrounding mental health on campus. Through the creation of a Mental Wellness Task Force, efforts continue to be made to demystify mental health and weave a mental wellness theme throughout the university community,” says Katherine Sermersheim, dean of students at Purdue. “Our current work, coupled with our participation in this state-wide effort with the Campaign to Change Direction, will enable a broader reach, offer additional resources to our community and, in turn, help us obtain a higher success rate in accomplishing our collective goal.” 

The campaign identifies the five signs of emotional suffering as:

* Personality change

* Agitation

* Withdrawal

* Poor self-care

* Hopelessness

The campus campaign is being managed by the Mental Wellness Task Force, which was created in April 2016 to promote wellness, identify monthly stressors and provide resources for faculty, staff, students and others who may be interested in promoting mental wellness on campus.

Task force members identify monthly stressors such as homesickness in August/September, time management and midterm exams in October, social isolation in November, and academic stress and expectations in December. For a complete list of the monthly stressors identified by the task force, visit http://www.purdue.edu/vpsl/resources/MentalWellness.html.

The tast force also provides resources, trainings, certifications and presentations on issues such as suicide prevention and LGBTQ inclusion. The task force is co-chaired by Julie Cox, associate dean of students, and Tammy Loew, senior assistant director of Wellness Programs.

Sermersheim says that the Mental Wellness Task Force co-chairs will help determine the best way to spread the message of the Campaign to Change Direction on campus.

The Women’s Fund of Central Indiana is bringing the campaign to Indiana. This initiative fits in with its mission of looking holistically at health, including mental wellness and mental-health issues. This marks the first time in 21 years that the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana has supported a campaign that is not gender specific.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.changedirection.org. 

Writer: Megan Huckaby, 765-496-1325, mhuckaby@purdue.edu 

Source: Katherine Sermersheim, ksermer@purdue.edu