Mental Health Awareness Month

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Mental health is a crucial factor in productivity and emotional well-being, and mental health concerns can impact relationships, diminish professional or academic success, and lead to damaging coping behaviors such as substance abuse. Mental Health Awareness Month is a valuable time to inform students, faculty, and staff of mental health considerations and to share relevant resources and support.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness. Mental health support is particularly important during the pandemic, as COVID-19 and its associated disruptions have caused an uptick in mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression. Moving away from school, leaving friends and co-workers, losing a job or internship offer, and transitioning to online instruction can make community members vulnerable to mental health crises.

This May, use this Toolkit to increase mental health awareness and reduce the stigma at your institution.

Safety Tools

Mental Health Awarenesss Infographic Tk Image-1

Mental Health Awareness Infographic presents staggering statistics about mental health illness and experiences in the U.S.

Share this infographic on social media and internal communications channels to build awareness of the prevalence of mental health conditions and to encourage those who need help to reach out.

Click to download

Yale PS Use Case

Mental Health Use Cases provide real client examples of LiveSafe use that will resonate with your community.

Discuss examples of Vector LiveSafe usage and encourage students and faculty to report anything similar on the LiveSafe App.

Click to download:

Mental Wellness Guide Toolkit Feature Image

Mental Wellness Guide provides an overview of mental health at higher education institutions, including statistics, terminology, warning signs and stressors, and more.

Share this guide with faculty, counselors, and other relevant employees to spread knowledge about the state of mental health on university campuses.

View guide

4 Ways to Use LS for MH EDU

4 Ways to Use LiveSafe for Mental Health Awareness outlines four key features of the LiveSafe Mobile App that can be used to promote mental health awareness and support.

Share this infographic on social media and via email so students and faculty know how they can use Vector LiveSafe in the event of a mental health emergency, even if they are away from campus.

Click to download

Mental Health Course Still

Student Mental Health Course discusses mental health concerns and considerations for university students.

Share this course with students to spread awareness of mental health considerations.

Watch course trailer

Tips to Protect Your Institution with Vector LiveSafe

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  1. Upload mental health points of contact and supporting information to the “Resources” section of Vector LiveSafe so that this information is available to students and faculty anytime, anywhere. In addition to institution-specific resources, this may include national resources such as the RAINN Hotline, Trans Lifeline, or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

  2. Train Dashboard Administrators to appropriately respond to mental health tips. Establish protocols and procedures for report notification and escalation in the event of an emergency. 

  3. Regularly check in with your students, faculty, and staff using broadcast messages to let them know they are not alone. Provide direct links to resources in these messages and remind users that there is additional information within the Vector LiveSafe app Resources section.

  4. Update the Vector LiveSafe Safety Map to include the location and contact information for local and university-specific health centers, counseling centers, hospitals, and more.

  5. Encourage school leaders and faculty to check in with their students to ensure that they are taking care of their physical and mental well-being and they understand how to use Vector LiveSafe to access mental health support.