Ross Szabo is a mental health speaker who had stories of his own, allowing him to share his perspective on the subject with a small audience on Nov. 1 in Jarman Hall at 8 p.m.
Szabo was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was in high school, about three years after the traumatic death of his best friend. Although Szabo suffered with bipolar disorder through high school, he turned his experience into a way to inform people about mental health and how to cope with emotions. Szabo had been speaking for twenty years and had volunteered for the Peace Corps in Botswana with a group of people with different types of disabilities. Szabo began speaking about mental health in high school when he felt like nobody understood what he was going through in life.
The development of our brains was a focus throughout his interactive speech. He surveyed the audience on how much sleep college students get every night. Most of the students expressed that they do not normally sleep more than six hours a night. Szabo believed the most critical time of brain development in our lives as college students is now.
“Now is the time to focus on effective coping,” said Szabo.
Szabo shared with the audience ways of helping people who suffer from clinical depression or are emotionally depressed. The first step is to ask the person why they refuse to seek help or talk about it. The most important step is the acceptance that something needs to be addressed, because normally people are defensive. Szabo reminded the audience to let the person know you care.
His presentation was accompanied by many visuals, one of which was a mental health spectrum. The diagram showed how different incidents in life affect people. These events ranged from relationship break ups to death. He went on to explain the difference between being clinical depressed and feeling depressed.
To Szabo mental health was just as important as physical health. He reminded the audience that mental health is not a problem.
“It’s how all of you address the challenges you face,” said Szabo.
Towards the closing of the presentation, Szabo offered a time of Q&A with the audience. Questions ranged from how to focus on things other than building resume and college success, to what to say when someone is in denial of not being able to properly cope with an issue.
Some students found out about the event from their LSEM professors while others heard about it from their friends. Freshman Michael Harpus was required by his LSEM professor to write a paper on the event.
“Once I found out it was about mental health and dealing with all the stress in college, I figured that (speech) would help,” said Harpus.
Szabo reminded the audience that the environment that people live in and the friends people surround themselves with can definitely impact their mental health.
“You have one life, you have one chance, and that is it,” expressed Szabo.
Ross Szabo talked to a small audience about how stress and sleeping habits are related to mental health.
Ross Szabo talked to a small audience about how stress and sleeping habits are related to mental health.
