Beyond Stigma: Bringing the Conversation About Mental Illness Forward CONVERSATIONS AT THE CARTER CENTER Discussing Mental Health in College

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The following presentation features quotes and images from Step Inside My Head, a project by former Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow Billy Howard. These stories introduce you to young people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and have actively and courageously participated in their recovery and treatment. They have revealed intimate details from their experiences in the hopes of starting an honest discussion on mental health, dispelling stereotypes and encouraging other young people who are suffering to get treatment. – Billy Howard

If he could knock his younger self on the head and have a conversation with him, he said he would tell him to get help, talk to his family, talk to anybody. -Billy on Gordon

In the past year, 31 percent of college students have felt so depressed that it was difficult to function and more than 50 percent have felt overwhelming anxiety, making it hard to succeed academically. American College Health Association (2012). American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive Summary Spring Retrieved from

You actually get a second life and its kind of like a rebirth after you get diagnosed… -Grayson

I just want everyone to know that its not the end if you are diagnosed with something. Its not the end, its just a new beginning, its a new place to start from and life is a lesson and life is a journey and you just have to take from it what you can get. -Grayson

Almost 73 percent of students living with a mental health condition experienced a mental health crisis on campus. Yet, 34 percent reported that their college did not know about their crisis. More than half of young adults who are no longer in college are not attending college because of a mental health related reason. National Alliance on Mental Illness (2012). College students speak: Survey report on mental health. Retrieved:

Malmon, A. (2006). Statistics on Young Adults & Mental Health. Active Minds. Retrieved:

Around 22 percent of all Americans who are 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable disorder in any given year. Malmon, A. (2006). Statistics on Young Adults & Mental Health. Active Minds. Retrieved: Young adults aged have the highest prevalence of mental illness at 27 percent.

Even the most serious mental illnesses can be treated and people can recover to live productive lives at school or within their communities.