TEMPE, Ariz. — Mental health is taking center stage Monday in the Valley. That’s when the U.S. Surgeon General will make a stop on his “We Are Made to Connect” college tour at Arizona State University.
The U.S. Surgeon General's ASU stop is centered around an epidemic of loneliness. For ASU student and Miss America 2022, Emma Broyles, being on the stage Monday has special meaning.
“The more we talk about it, the more open conversation we can have," Broyles said. "The more normalized mental health and mental well-being is.”
Broyles, knows the struggles first-hand, having gone through ADHD, depression and more. The symptoms heightened when she finished her Miss America 2022 tour.
“Going to being a normal student again, that was a really hard transition for me," Broyles said. "And that sent me into a very deep depressive episode. That was when I developed my anxiety and OCD as well."
Now, Broyles, an ASU student, is working toward becoming a doctor herself. And she wants others to know they’re not alone in any mental health battles.
“It was something I felt so much shame of and I didn’t recognize how many of my peers were facing similar struggles and were actually taking the same antidepressants I was," she said.
In a recent national survey by the American College Health Association, nearly three-quarters of college students reported moderate or severe psychological distress.
Monday’s 5-for-5 Connection Event with Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Broyles will challenge students to take five actions for five days that express gratitude, offer support or ask for help from people in their lives.
“It was really incredible to hear the stories of other people my age and to feel like I was not alone," Broyles said.
Monday's mental health awareness event is at ASU’s Memorial Union on the Tempe campus. It kicks off at 4:30 p.m.
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