On the second day of Week of Belonging, Eccles students, staff, and faculty gathered for an insightful presentation led by Dr. Glen Kreiner, the L.S. Skaggs Presidential Chair in Business Ethics at the David Eccles School of Business and leader in mental health advocacy with the Stop Stigma Together initiative.

During his presentation, Dr. Kreiner brought powerful research, personal stories, and shared the connection between mental health and belonging, especially in academic and professional environments. He encouraged the audience to think differently about mental health, not as a label, but a fluid experience that impacts people in different ways.

Key Takeaways:

The numbers are hard to ignore:

• 1 in 5 adults experience mental health challenges.
• 1 in 3 receive a diagnosis in their lifetime.
• 12 million report serious suicidal thoughts.

Dr. Kreiner shared these statistics to highlight just how common mental health challenges are and emphasizing why open conversations are important to ensure individuals feel supported.

But the conversation doesn’t stop at personal experiences, mental health should be a priority in higher education and the workplace. More than ever, employees want to feel supported in their workplace, considering the following:

• 81% of workers consider mental health support important when choosing a job.
• 62% would stay at a job that offers strong mental health resources.
• Mental health challenges are a leading cause for employee turnover.

Stigma continues to be a barrier for individuals to reach out for support, preventing many from getting the help they need. Dr. Kreiner emphasized the importance of this issue:

• 4 in 5 employees avoid getting help due to stigma
• 80% of people living with mental illness say the stigma is worse than the diagnosis.

This shows how powerful stigma can be and why it is important to destigmatize conversations around mental health to provide the best support to the people around us.

“A phrase that I like to use is a mental health diagnosis is a comma, not a period.” – Dr. Glen Kreiner

Mental health can affect anyone. Destigmatizing mental health starts with compassion. By leading with empathy, we can learn how to create spaces where students and workers feel understood and supported by their communities.

If you are in need of mental health resources, consider reaching out to the University Counseling Center or taking advantage of alternative resources on campus which can be found here!

Business Student Government (BSG) is committed to creating a community of belonging where everyone feels empowered to be an impactful leader. Feel free to connect with us on instagram @ecclesbsg or our Linkedin to keep up with our events and initia

Valery Ramos