Why Be One When You Can Be Many

     Every September, the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center hosts Suicide Prevention Week, with hopes to reach out to UT students who suffer with suicidal illnesses. In an article from the Daily Texan, Be The Many With Suicide Prevention, Katherine Taylor expresses her dislike for the new slogan. Taylor makes a lot of sense to point out that “Be that one” slogan seems misleading and inappropriate for the subject of suicide.
     What were they thinking, “be that one” to what? The campaign aimed to influence UT students to “be that one” to talk to a friend about their mental illness. Taylor correctly argues that suicide awareness should be stopped by many not just one person. The slogan seems to imply that only one person is needed. If suicide prevention needs only one, then more than likely people will think they don’t need to be involved.
     Taylor gives evidence collected from the University of Texas supporting importance of suicide awareness. According to the CMHC, suicide is the second leading cause of death in college students. Reports prove that 90% of people who commit suicide had a diagnosable mental illness. In 2009, 46% of college students reported feeling that things were hopeless and one third felt depression was making it difficult to function. This information alone should be enough evidence as to why we need to focus on a strong campaign for suicide awareness.
     Taylor makes a great point about how fast people are to say they are sick, but will never say they are mentally ill. If one is feverish, they know what to do. That individual would stay home in bed and maybe post a Facebook status for the whole world to see they are not well.
     Taylor nails it when she identifies the stigma related to mental health issues. This stigma labels an individual weaker than others because they admit to a mental illness. This leads to a fear of being known as “crazy” by others and not fitting into a perfect world.
     This article is a good representation of a misleading, perhaps severely understated slogan to prevent suicide. Clearly she gathered evidence that suicide is a huge problem among UT students. The CMHC at UT is not creating a strong movement by using “Be that one” when they really mean “Be the many” if they are going to make a difference. Katherine Taylor brought true light to the urgency of mental health awareness and damage control to a poorly created slogan.