Running Head: BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

Advanced Health Communication: Health Campaign Summary Paper

Danielle Peracchio
Bryant University

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

In a study done in 2014 that surveyed more than 150,000 students nationwide, found that
9.5 percent of respondents had frequently felt depressed during the past year, a significant rise
over the 6.1 percent reported five years ago (Schwarz, 2015). On most college campuses across
the nation students have been undergoing overwhelming emotions due to the rise of stress by
academic and extra-curricular activities they have stretched themselves thin with (Schwarz,
2015).
Depression is characterized by depressed or sad mood, diminished interest in activities
which used to be pleasurable, weight gain or loss, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue,
inappropriate guilt, difficulties concentrating, as well as recurrent thoughts of death. But
depression is more than a bad day; diagnostic criteria established by the American Psychiatric
Association dictate that five or more of the above symptoms must be present for a continuous
period of at least two weeks (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, 1). While being on

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

college campuses, people need to be looking for the warning signs of depression in their friends
and fellow classmates. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness
and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how
you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You
may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't
worth living (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016, 1).
Depression is a topic that holds great importance in spreading awareness, especially on
college campuses, due to the increase in the amount of depressed students there are in America.
In a study done by the American College Health Association, it showed that there was a 4.6%
increase in the amount of depressed students within a four year span. In addition, 14.9% of
college students reported having been diagnosed with depression. This is also a higher number
than the 10.3% that was reported four years previously. Some men and women have even
reported that they have experienced incidences where their depression was so intolerable it was
nearly impossible to function (Depression is up Among College Students, 2005).
Due to the fact that depression has become such a prevalent matter on college campuses,
it is critical to get the message out to students and faculty at colleges across the nation. Many
people do not understand the severity of this illness because there is a stigma that surrounds it
and makes it difficult for people to discuss. Research has shown that depression influenced
suicide is becoming more and more dominant on college campuses (Furr, Westefeld, McConnell,
Jenkins, 2001). About 90% of suicides are actually associated with mental illness, with the most
common one being depression. Suicide has become the third leading causes of death in people
ranging from ages 15-24 (Insel & Charney, 2003). It is said that only a small amount of

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

depressed students actually seek the help that they really need. Though counseling services are
almost always provided on college campuses, they are not being taken advantage of like they
should be. Campuses need to work on making counseling services more efficient and accessible
to students (Furr et al., 2001).
With the stress of academics and various extra-curricular activities within college
students that were mentioned previously, depression is one of the top three issue on Bryants
campus. Shown on the Office of Counseling Services webpage, they enforce the idea that
students should feel comfortable to address their emotional struggles (Counseling Services,
2016). The counselors here at Bryant offer a safe and confidential space for students to share
their worries and receive feedback and understanding of how to proceed with their problems in
an effort to improve themselves. Along with the Office of Counseling Services they also provide
the Student Support Network (SNN) which connects the Bryant students with each other and
creates a sense of responsibility for one another.
After establishing the importance and relevance for bringing Depression Awareness to
Bryant University, we then needed to narrow in on our target audience to start a design message
plan. We began with formative research, which is vital to implementing a successful campaign.
To ensure success, knowing the target audiences level of their familiarity concerning depression
will help form a more tailored campaign.
A survey was conducted (See Appendix A) for Bryant University students that allowed us
to gain a further and broader understanding o In a study done in 2014 that surveyed more than
150,000 students nationwide, found that 9.5 percent of respondents had frequently felt
depressed during the past year, a significant rise over the 6.1 percent reported five years ago

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

(Schwarz, 2015). On most college campuses across the nation students have been undergoing
overwhelming emotions due to the rise of stress by academic and extra-curricular activities they
have stretched themselves thin with (Schwarz, 2015).
Depression is characterized by depressed or sad mood, diminished interest in activities
which used to be pleasurable, weight gain or loss, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue,
inappropriate guilt, difficulties concentrating, as well as recurrent thoughts of death. But
depression is more than a bad day; diagnostic criteria established by the American Psychiatric
Association dictate that five or more of the above symptoms must be present for a continuous
period of at least two weeks (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, 1). While being on
college campuses, people need to be looking for the warning signs of depression in their friends
and fellow classmates. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness
and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how
you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You
may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't
worth living (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016, 1).
Depression is a topic that holds great importance in spreading awareness, especially on
college campuses, due to the increase in the amount of depressed students there are in America.
In a study done by the American College Health Association, it showed that there was a 4.6%
increase in the amount of depressed students within a four year span. In addition, 14.9% of
college students reported having been diagnosed with depression. This is also a higher number
than the 10.3% that was reported four years previously. Some men and women have even

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

reported that they have experienced incidences where their depression was so intolerable it was
nearly impossible to function (Depression is up Among College Students, 2005).
Due to the fact that depression has become such a prevalent matter on college campuses,
it is critical to get the message out to students and faculty at colleges across the nation. Many
people do not understand the severity of this illness because there is a stigma that surrounds it
and makes it difficult for people to discuss. Research has shown that depression influenced
suicide is becoming more and more dominant on college campuses (Furr, Westefeld, McConnell,
Jenkins, 2001). About 90% of suicides are actually associated with mental illness, with the most
common one being depression. Suicide has become the third leading causes of death in people
ranging from ages 15-24 (Insel & Charney, 2003). It is said that only a small amount of
depressed students actually seek the help that they really need. Though counseling services are
almost always provided on college campuses, they are not being taken advantage of like they
should be. Campuses need to work on making counseling services more efficient and accessible
to students (Furr et al., 2001).
With the stress of academics and various extra-curricular activities within college
students that were mentioned previously, depression is one of the top three issue on Bryants
campus. Shown on the Office of Counseling Services webpage, they enforce the idea that
students should feel comfortable to address their emotional struggles (Counseling Services,
2016). The counselors here at Bryant offer a safe and confidential space for students to share
their worries and receive feedback and understanding of how to proceed with their problems in
an effort to improve themselves. Along with the Office of Counseling Services they also provide

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

the Student Support Network (SNN) which connects the Bryant students with each other and
creates a sense of responsibility for one another.
After establishing the importance and relevance for bringing Depression Awareness to
Bryant University, we then needed to narrow in on our target audience to start a design message
plan. We began with formative research, which is vital to implementing a successful campaign.
To ensure success, knowing the target audiences level of their familiarity concerning depression
will help form a more tailored campaign.
A survey was conducted (See Appendix A) for Bryant University students that allowed us
to gain a further and broader understanding of the awareness and accessibility of help for
depression on our campus. We began this study by first asking how familiar the students are with
recognizing the symptoms of depression, and the results showed that 44 percent of respondents
were somewhat familiar.
To further gauge the audience also asked if they have ever experienced symptoms of
depression or if they knew of anyone that has, respectively 38 percent and 88 percent responded
yes to both questions. Out of those answers, 69 percent of those people have been diagnosed
with depression. Now that we have more of a gauge on how many people are somewhat educated
on this matter, we then wanted to find out how comfortable people are with seeking help and if
they know where to seek help at Bryant. There is a stigma surrounding depression and a
reflection in that is shown in the level of comfortability people feel about seeking help; only 12
percent feel extremely comfortable seeking help for their depression. Though most kids seek
help from professionals at home, 21 percent stated that they are currently seeking or have sought
help at Bryant.

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

An interview with an on-campus counselor (See Appendix B) also took place in order to
get information from someone who deals with depressed students on a day to day basis. A lot of
vital facts regarding depression on the Bryant campus were gathered during the course of the
interview. Bill Phillips, both a professor and counselor at Bryant University, first discussed the
prevalence of depression and other psychological issues that occur on campus. In fact, the top
three issues that students come in most frequently for have been the same for the last 20 years.
These issues are anxiety, relationship issues, and depression. He stated that depression was
actually the number one issue for quite some time, however anxiety has taken the number one
spot, leaving depression second.
Being one of the many students utilizing the Office of Counseling Services, I can attest to
the scheduling being booked every hour of the day for appointments. Though it is great that
students are taking advantage of the services provided it also doesnt allow for people who need
to seek help more frequently do that. Students who are receiving counseling at Bryant usually do
not get counseling anywhere else, at least during the school year.
This made us question as to whether there are any student support groups here on the
Bryant campus to tailor to more students needs. Students have tried to start support groups to
help those who are battling with depression in the past being unsuccessful due to the lack of
continuity because the groups who started it would graduate and it would ultimately fall apart as
a result. He also said it was common that students did not always feel comfortable going to these
support groups due to Bryants small size. With Bryant being such a small campus, the
possibility of them knowing someone in the group was high which minimizes the want for
seeking help when the students anonymity is in question.

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

An important aspect, which Professor Phillips was not asked but thought was worth
discussing, was the fact that there are two different kinds of depression. These two types are
clinical depression and depression that is a result of an event that occurred. The second type is
not one that necessarily needs to be treated and many do not know that. It is actually normal to
experience depression during your life. Clinical depression does not have a connection to a
specific event and affects peoples everyday lives. He went into saying that it is actually a genetic
issue and people need to start appreciating how medically connected this illness actually is.
Phillips along with many others believe that the attitudes toward treating depression need
change.
The model we chose to follow for our campaign was the Health Belief Model, composed
of five components, this is based on the psychology and understanding of cognitive appraisals
related to risk to help inform message concepts needed for motivation to comply with a behavior.
The five components linked to this model are perceived susceptibility, perceived severity,
perceived barriers, perceived benefits and cues to action. We chose this model because it gives a
risk analysis as well as an evaluation of the proposed solution and its use.
Perceived susceptibility refers to the perception that one has to be affect by a particular
health concern; their perception does not necessarily represent facts of the parameters of the
health concern. Perceived severity looks at how severely an individual attributes to the health
concern. Many people do not know the level of seriousness towards depression and think it is
only mental, however there are many serious consequences to depression. Hence the reason we
want to individuals to gain awareness towards depression and learn what the consequences of
developing the problem is. Perceived barriers refers to the individuals perception of costs with

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

10

regard to performing the recommended response. These costs link to psychological,

physiological or financial. Some people may believe that seeking help for their depression could
be costly and/or psychologically troublesome. Perceived benefits is the belief in how effective
the advised actions result in some reward or the extent that it will solve the problem. We will
use this section to send a positive message about the benefits for discussing your depression and
taking action. This includes giving correct information about how effective the tools really are in
order to decrease the susceptibility or severity of the condition. Lastly, cues to action are
prompts that are needed for the person to think about the issues and potentially act upon it. An
example of this could be to send e-mail reminders or broadcast messages promoting depression
awareness.
With gaining insightful feedback from both the survey and interview this will aid in
creating an effective depression awareness campaign to our intended audience. Also the Health
Belief Model will be an effective model to use for our campaign because it allows those with
depression to feel that it is probable to address a stigmatized issue that people are not always
comfortable discussing.
We presented our campaign idea to a focus group who consisted of two professor, Rich
Holtzman and Kirsten Hokeness and one health professional, Alyce Viens. Our campaign,
Bryant Stands Up is a depression awareness campaign has to main goals of spreading
awareness on Bryants campus while increasing the number of students actively seeking help. In
efforts for this to be successful we need to create an environment for students to feel comfortable
in and want to start seeking help for such a common and serious mental illness.

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

11

During the presentation we explained how we would accomplish our goals and the steps
and obstacles we would face doing so. We are beginning with a Depression Awareness day being
held in the rotunda to gain publicity for the campaign. On that day we will be handing out
pamphlets that gives students information on symptoms, treatments, statistical facts and also
promoting the Office of Counseling services and the services they provide. As well as pamphlets,
we will be handing out rubber bracelets that say Bryant Stands Up and
#StandUpToTheStigma. By students wearing these bracelets around campus it will keep others
reminded of our cause and will gain support for depression awareness. An Instagram account
called Bryant Stands Up was also created and on the page will provide photos of Bryant students
on the Depression Awareness Day holding a sign that says #StandUpToTheStigma on it. It will
also feature motivational quotes and tips on how to handle your depression. Having a social
media platform in todays society is important, especially for our target audience to keep Bryant
Stands Up relevant and present to Bryant students.
During the focus group, there was very positive feedback that was provided to the
campaigning group. First and foremost, each professor judging the campaign idea believe that
Depression is a very relevant topic to the Bryant community. In addition, they believe that the
interview with Bill Phillips was very helpful in creating a successful campaign idea and strategy.
Professor Phillips stated that it is important that people everywhere change their attitudes toward
Depression due to the fact that it cannot be controlled and it is a genetic disease. The judges
believed that the campaign Stand Up to the Stigma is a great way to help change these
negative beliefs that are connected to Depression.
With that being said, they provided us with helpful suggestions on how to increase the
effectiveness and success of the Bryant Stands Up campaign. One suggestion being that talking

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

12

about the issue itself is difficult for people who have Depression. Therefore, they suggested that
further ideas need to be developed in a way that speaks to students that dont want to discuss
their Depression issues. It was also recommended that a link is created between awareness and
getting help due to the fact is such a sensitive topic. Another concern from the focus group was
regarding continuity, and how it could be successful the years. It is important to develop an idea
that keeps the Depression Awareness Day going on whether it be once a year, one a semester, or
once a month. The campaign was also advised to be careful about the seriousness of depression
and the implications that can be associated with intervention and no intervention. The last
suggestion has the question of anonymity on Bryants campus regarding support group ideas we
came up with. Bryant is a very small and tight-knit community which lessens the chance of
students coming to a group and being able to express themselves fully in fear of others knowing
about their personal obstacles.
Along with the suggestions from the professors, we also gained multiple ideas from the
REDay presentation. Susan Pressler, an academic advisor suggest we link up with a national
Depression Awareness campaign named, Project 375, which helps promote mental illness, end
the stigma, and raises funding for the treatment. By including a national campaign on Bryant's
campus it will eliminate the crowd who would feel uncomfortable supporting mental illness.
Instead of being the start of such a highly controversial mental illness, members can become a
part of something bigger than a Bryant campaign. Another great suggestion we received was to
start bringing awareness to Bryant students about depression when they are incoming freshman
during orientation, and also provide a mandatory online course resembling AlcoholEdu.
Similarly to AlcoholEdu, the site can provide exercises to notice warning signs and symptoms in

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

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yourself and your peers. They can also include tips, statistics and treatments that will help
students realize how common depression is in college students.
In conclusion, by incorporating all of the feedback we have received, this will assist us in
expanding our outreach of Bryant students to make them feel more motivated to become a part of
a team to bring awareness to this campus along with increasing the number of students who seek
help for their own depression. This campaign was highlighted the start to finish process of
creating our own health campaign and understanding the phases and difficulties you face to make
it a successful one. Overall we intend that this campaign can make a difference towards
increasing depression awareness within the Bryant community.

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

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References
American Psychiatric Association. Quick Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-IV.
Washington, DC. American Psychiatric Press, Inc. 1994.
Counseling Services. (2016). Retrieved February 24, 2016, from http://www.bryant.edu/studentlife/campus-services/counseling-services.htm
Depression is up among college students. (2005). The Brown University Child & Adolescent
Psychopharmacology Update. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Furr, S. R., Westefeld, J. S., Mcconnell, G. N., & Jenkins, J. M. (2001). Suicide and depression
among college students: A decade later. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,
32(1), 97-100. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Insel, T. R., & Charney, D. C. (2003). Research on major depression: Strategies and priorities.
American Medical Association, 289(23), 3167-3168. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
Janz, N. K., & Becker, M. H. (1984). The Health Belief Model: A Decade Later. Health
Education & Behavior, 11(1), 1-47. doi:10.1177/109019818401100101
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016). Depression (major depressive disorder). Retrieved February 24, 2016,
from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/basics/definition/con20032977
Schwarz, Alan. "More College Freshmen Report Having Felt Depressed." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 04 Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
J. Volkman (personal communication, February 18, 2016).

BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

Appendix A
1. How familiar are you with the symptoms of depression?

2. Have you ever experienced symptoms of depression?

3. How often do you experience symptoms of depression?

4. Do you know anyone who experiences symptoms of depression?

5. Have you or anyone you know been diagnosed with depression?

6. Are you or anyone you know getting help with their depression?

7. Would you feel comfortable seeking help?

8. If so, where would/have you seek/sought help?

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BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

9. Are you familiar with the services provided at Bryant?

10. What is your gender?

Appendix B
1. Have you seen any specific trends that students are most frequently coming in for?
2. Have you seen an increase in a specific service?
3. How often do students come in seeking help for depression?

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BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

4. Are peer support groups offered?

5. What other types of resources are provided for students who have depression?
6. How are you making services known to the students?

Appendix C

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BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

Appendix D

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BRYANT STANDS UP DEPRESSION CAMPAIGN

Appendix E

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Appendix F

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