Opinion | Our police deserve better mental health care
By Jeremy Wang, Assistant Opinions Editor
April 2, 2019
Police in America faced a deadly year in 2018 with 144 line of duty deaths. Far less attention is paid to police suicides, which are just as deadly.
Editorial: Shooting survivors need more mental health resources
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 25, 2019
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
These people’s pain didn’t stop in the aftermath of the shootings, and they — as well as all others in their terrible position — deserved access to mental health resources to help them process and grieve what they lost.
Darr hears students’ counseling center concerns
By Neena Hagen, Senior Staff Writer
March 22, 2019
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
For the first time since being hired in January 2019, Pitt’s new Counseling Center Director Jay Darr made a public appearance at a Town Hall Thursday night.
Finals: A How-To Guide
By Jon Moss, Senior Staff Writer
December 9, 2018
With finals bearing down on Pitt’s campus, some students are worried about how to best prepare for the onslaught of school work. As students prepare to enter finals week, The Pitt News sat down with mental and physical health experts to learn what students can do to help manage stress and succee...
Editorial: Remember mental health of shooting victims
By The Pitt News Editorial
November 12, 2018
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Pittsburgh is still feeling the damage a mass shooting can have on a community. We’re tired of reading about it. We’re tired of writing about it. And we’re acutely aware, after having lived through it and after one person was a part of two of these events in the span of a year, that mass shootings have become a cultural problem that must be fixed.
Stigmatizing mental illness causes harm
By Emily Pinigis, Staff Columnist
November 9, 2018
Everyone has had days when it seems people are just hard to be around. But you should not make anyone — especially those with hidden mental illnesses — the victim of your grumpiness.
Phones are damaging our mental health
By Cammy Morsberger, For The Pitt News
October 19, 2018
October is Mental Health Awareness month, so it's imperative that we act to unplug our devices and not only enjoy the company of others, but also improve and support our mental well-being.
Don’t forget self-care during midterms
By Allison Dantinne, For The Pitt News
October 11, 2018
For many students, midterm season doesn’t end when tests are graded. The fear of failing or not doing as well as anticipated can loom over students and may contribute to problems later in the semester.
Therapy dogs bring contentment and comfort to campus
By Kieran Mclean, Staff Writer
August 20, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Welcome Back 2018
Marsha Robbins' therapy dog program has been bringing calming canines to Pitt for years.
Athletics Department announces new mental health program
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-Chief
June 20, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Sports, Top Stories
Pitt’s Athletics Department announced a new partnership with Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC to add two full-time mental health counselors to the department’s staff to interact with student-athletes on a daily basis, according to a statement released Wednesday. Student-athletes were previously referred to WPIC for mental health treatment. The new program will include one-on-one counseling and focus on techniques for practi...
Students learn about mental health first aid
By Cassidy Power | For The Pitt News
March 1, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
“How can I help?” and “How do I start a conversation?” are questions Sean Moundas, a psychologist at the University Counseling Center, gets asked a lot when it comes to mental health. “Over half of those with mental health challenges go untreated,” Moundas said. At the Be The Difference...
Single and ready to … stay that way
By Vaibhavi Patria | Columnist
February 14, 2018
It took me until my sophomore year to finally give up my need to be in a relationship. In the past, I constantly felt an urgency to date or be in committed relationships rather than casual ones. When I was dating people, I never truly felt happy and secure. But during the times I wasn’t dating, I...
Panel sheds light on refugee mental health
By Amanda Finney | Staff Writer
November 13, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
If you had to make a list of your four most important things, tangible or intangible, what would they be? This is the question panelist Sarah Faulx posed to 40 audience members Friday night in William Pitt Union Dining Room B. After encouraging them to take out their phones and make the list, she...
Asian-American entertainer discusses representation
By Hannah Schneider, For The Pitt News
November 13, 2017
After her sister committed suicide in 2007, Anna Akana felt she had no purpose in life — until she was drawn into the world of stand-up comedy. “It’s the only thing that made me feel alive,” Akana said. But she wasn’t even aware comedy was a viable career path for her until she saw A...
‘Guardian’ helps people on the brink
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
October 24, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Kevin Briggs thinks his unofficial title — “guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge” — sounds “egotistical.” “I’m not a big fan of the name,” Briggs said in an email. “I think there are many ‘Guardians’ all over the world, both first responder and citizen.” Briggs, a Californ...
Student struggles illuminated at mental health vigil
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
October 23, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
After sustaining a concussion playing street basketball during his junior year of high school, Wyatt Macejka’s life would never be the same. The senior psychology major was diagnosed with depression and anxiety as a result of the concussion, and he struggled through his recovery. “I couldn...
Students speak out about mental health
By Amanda Finney | Staff Writer
October 19, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Emiola Jay Oriola said he’s not native to writing poetry — and he didn’t used to like art — but in the eulogy he wrote for his father’s funeral, he found that a poem came out. “It was very brand new, so I started to cultivate it, seek God and ask ‘what is this?’ and more poetry cam...
Dear social media: it’s not you, it’s my mental health
By Audreela Deb | For The Pitt News
August 21, 2017
Ah, summer. The season of vacation getaways and seasonal internships. Afternoon barbecues and late night bonfires; Fourth of July pool parties and sunbathing trips to the beach. And there’s proof of it all on social media — at least, if this year was anything like last. Instead of devouring th...
Pitt to screen acclaimed documentary
By Lexi Kennell / for The Pitt News
February 22, 2016
Not all tragedies end in misery. “Here One Day,” a documentary that follows one family coping with a mother’s suicide, offers hope and a positive message negating the stigma surrounding mental illness. The award-winning documentary will make its Pittsburgh premiere in the William Pitt Union Wednesday, Fe...
I need Adderall, you probably don’t
By Marlo Safi / Columnist
November 10, 2015
“I took eighteen credits this semester and got straight A+’s, all thanks to Adderall!” Students affectionately call Adderall everything from a “study drug” to “accomplish mints.” On a rigorous college campus, Adderall — like steroids — helps students who are non-prescription users co...
Stop stigmatizing, start humanizing mental illness
By Kirsten Wong / Columnist
October 27, 2015
As mass shootings and other incomprehensible events happen so frequently, we search for the guilty, the motive and the solution. On Oct. 1st, Christopher Harper-Mercer was suspected of killing 10 people in a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. It was the 294th shooting this year in which four or more people were killed or injured, classifying it...
Editorial: Pitt, let’s be clear on mental health
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
September 9, 2015
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
In the wake of three student suicides in less than a year, Pitt is working to transform the way it combats the effects of mental illness. Here on campus, Student Government Board, along with other student organizations, has formed a coalition with the University administration and the Counseling Center...