My name is Kelsey Banks and I’m a Masters of Social Work student at the U of I. I am writing in praise of Shreya Rathi’s 2022 Daily Illini article, “Students ‘unmask’ for mental health support”. Mental health has become an increasingly stigmatized topic, resulting in a damaging societal narrative surrounding people who live with mental struggles like anxiety or depression. Unmasked is an app designed to give college students the ability to anonymously give and receive mental health support. It provides individuals the space to talk about their struggles without fear of judgment, which is a critical aspect. As a future social work clinician, creating a safe space for clients to unload their most precious cargo-which almost always involves mental health in some capacity-is a significant part of the therapeutic process.
In the United States, an estimated 22.1 percent of adults, nearly 44.3 million people, report suffering from a diagnosable mental health disorder. In terms of mental health prevalence among children and adolescents, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found 20.9% of any mental health disorder to be reported. This information suggests the younger population in the United States could benefit from services directed toward mental health wellness and eliminating barriers to seeking treatment.
The stigmatization of mental health works to silence individuals into suppressing difficult emotions that are commonly experienced by the general population. Community apps such as Unmasked work to lower barriers to accessing emotional support, reapproaching with a different narrative surrounding mental health.