The inability to decrease mental health stigmas are contributing to the rise of violence and fear in the United States, Bianca Muijca told Active Minds members on Wednesday evening at the University of North Texas.

     “Mental health is a larger issue than most people realize,” Muijca said. “It directly impacts not only you, but everyone else around you.”

     Active Minds is an on-campus organization that focuses on advocating and showcasing support for mental health. Active Minds describes itself as the nation’s only non-profit organization dedicated to using student voices to raise mental health awareness in and around college campuses. The organization aims to create dialogues between students about prominent mental health issues, as well as educating students about available on campus resources.

     Muijca, who has been the president Active Minds for nearly two years, stressed the necessity to engage in conversations about mental health. Their bi-weekly meeting occurred only hours after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida.

     “This very conversation that we are having can act as a guide for the rest of your day, or life even,” Muijca said. “When people don’t have an outlet or feel like they have no one to talk to, they begin to exhibit toxic behaviors that can become dangerous later on."

     Muijca has been a member of Active Minds since her freshman year and has since then collaborated with the Student Government Association, the University Program Council, multiple libraries, as well as other on campus organizations through Active Minds. She said the organization is a great way for students to share their struggles, as well as join a community to find support during their college years.

     “Mental health stigmas are being challenged more and more every day,” Muijca said. “Overall, it’s still a taboo subject, which makes it hard for others to want to reach out.”

      Ameenah McKnight, a UNT freshman, has been to two active minds meetings during the fall semester and said the organization has changed the way she views the topic of mental health.

     “I’ve recently started getting treated by the on campus mental health services, and I find that being older in therapy I have more control over what we’re discussing and what I need help with at a particular time,” McKnight said. “Going to a support group like this is less intimate than therapy, but I feel like it provides a lot of the same benefits.”

     Active Minds usually holds their meetings in the University Union every other Wednesday evening. The meetings are small, consisting of no more than seven members, and last about an hour. Topics vary from week to week, but suicide, depression, gun violence, anxiety, and coping mechanisms are popular topics of discussion. Throughout the meeting there are spurs of comments, questions, conversations and discussions, but no radical debates.

      “Even though we’re usually a small group, we have a lot of people who come to our events or show interest at our tablings,” Muijca said. “So people are definitely interested, they just can’t make meetings because of class or work.”

      Johnny Millar, a UNT freshman, said he was unaware UNT offered counseling services at no extra cost to students.

     “Honestly, I kind of feel misinformed about [UNT’s] mental health services,” Millar said. “It kind of gets to the point where you’ve been [at UNT] for so long that you start to feel weird for asking about something that you should know about.”

      While some students may feel misinformed about the mental health services offered on campus, Muijca said that UNT as an institution tries to accommodate students.

      “UNT as an institution does a lot of work,” Muijca said. “You can get accommodations for your mental health or disabilities in classrooms, housing, dining halls, and libraries, which is really great and makes you feel included and less alone.”