Letter to the editor

Active Minds aims to break stigma with student experiences

One story, and in extreme cases, even one word, can change someone's life, which will in turn affect change in the world around them. If you have ever heard of the Active Minds club, we try to get rid of the negative stigma surrounding mental disorders and other struggles that people have in life.

We are trying to create a compilation of true stories of those who have a) gone through and overcome a mental or other type of condition, b) beat the odds and achieved something they didn't know they could achieve, c) made a decision that ended up changing their entire life and/or d) gone through something in their lives that has changed them, or have just changed anyway going through life.

We don't just want these stories to inspire those who have gone through something similar; we want them to inspire everyone. Our goal is to include these stories along with research on the hidden strengths that those who may have each of the following conditions possess and how we can not only acknowledge them in education and society, but also to help them grow, and in turn help everybody grow.

The list of conditions includes but is not limited to: autism, bipolar disorder, anxiety/depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, epilepsy, multiple personality disorder, Alzheimer's, panic disorder, eating disorders, dissociative disorder and ADHD.

If you would like to share a story or know someone who would, please contact me at g.ster224016@gmail.com; it would be greatly appreciated! You could also contact ybetsinger@gmail.com. Please email what you would like to say or a brief description of the story you would like to enlighten people with; it will mean more to others than you will know.