The Cottrell Building on campus was lit up green on Monday night to support Mental Health Awareness Week.
Cottrell was one of many buildings turned green between 9pm and midnight on Monday, including Edinburgh Castle and the Bank of England.
In a statement, the university revealed that research showed that two thirds of people in Scotland will experience a mental health issue at some point in their life, but will never seek out professional help.
This years Mental Health Awareness Week will focus on stress, which can be a factor in further mental health issues being developed such as depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide. The university’s statement said that by tackling stress we can help tackle all of the other mental health issues that can be developed.
#Research has shown that two thirds of us experience a #MentalHealth problem in our lifetime, and stress is a key factor in this. Therefore, this year's #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek is focusing on stress. 💚 #MHAW18 pic.twitter.com/dwKNQjgNss
— University of Stirling (@StirUni) May 14, 2018
The deputy secretary of the university, Joanna Morrow, issued a statement saying;
“The University of Stirling is proud to be supporting Mental Health Awareness Week by joining landmarks across the UK in lighting up our Cottrell Building green.
“Protecting and enhancing the mental health of both staff and students at Stirling is of great importance to the University and a range of services are in place to provide support where required.
“Student Support Services operate a counselling and wellbeing service on campus where qualified counsellors and mental health professionals are on hand to provide guidance and support. Students can connect with these services by: dropping into the Student Services Hub, at the Queen’s Court entrance of the Cottrell Building; calling 01786 466 022; or emailing ask@stir.ac.uk. They can also register for counselling directly by simply completing a registration form and sending this to ask@stir.ac.uk.”
“For more information on Mental Health Awareness Week, we encourage staff and students to visit: mentalhealth.org.uk.”
The president of the university’s Mental Wellbeing Society, Annabelle Cooper, commented saying;
“I think its great that the university turned green. It shows people, not just students and staff that it cares about the mental health of their students.
“Raising awareness of stress as a mental illness is incredibly important, especially students undergoing change, for example at university. Hopefully it will make students more open to talk about their feelings and stress, whether that’s to friends, professionals or family.”
Mental Health Awareness Week serves to raise people’s awareness about Mental Health issues in society, as well as looking after their own mental health and the mental health of others, to get people to look at their own mental health and think about it, and also encouraging people to take steps to prevent themselves from developing mental health conditions in the future.
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from the 14-20 May.
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