Marking Mental Illness Awareness Week and World Mental Health Awareness Day

Jane P. Gagliardi, MD, MHS Associate Dean for Learning Environment and Well-being
By Jane Gagliardi, MD
Table with the Le Well Banner and Mental Health Resources

Le Well marked Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 5-11, and World Mental Health Awareness Day, October 10, with two events to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and highlight resources to promote and preserve well-being.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, millions of people are affected by mental illness annually.  One in 5 adults experience mental illness – and 1 in 20 experience serious mental illness.  Twenty-three percent of all adults experience mental illness in a 12-month period.  Eight percent of adults experience a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness; 8% experience depression; 4% experience post-traumatic stress disorder; 3% experience bipolar disorder; and 1% each experience borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.  The point?  You are not alone.  Le Well hosted two events to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and highlight resources to promote and preserve well-being. 

Tea and Talk with Monica Money (October 9).  CAPS@Le Well counselor, Monica Money, was present in the “Living Room” on the 4th floor of TSCHE, where participants had an opportunity to meet and talk with her while enjoying tea and cookies.  

Monica Money Tabling with CAPS Resources
On October 9, 2025, Le Well partnered with CAPS@Le Well counselor Monica Money to create a space for conversation and community.

Since January 2024, Le Well has partnered with Duke University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to decrease barriers and improve accessibility in both space and time for students seeking counseling.  CAPS@Le Well consists of a CAPS counselor (Monica Money)  who sees students on the 4th floor of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education (TSCHE) on Tuesdays (11-7), Wednesdays (11-7) and Thursdays (1-5).  Like any services offered through Student Health or CAPS, the CAPS@Le Well counselor’s services are free, confidential, and protected by HIPAA.  Students in School of Medicine programs also are welcome to seek services at CAPS at the Student Wellness Center (Towerview Drive). 

Composite World mental Health Day Logo and Photo of painted rocks on a table
In observance of World Mental Health Day on October 10, 2025, Le Well brought snacks, Mental Health awareness pins, coloring pages, and river rocks to the Medical Center Library to bring awareness and positivity to interested students, residents, faculty and staff.

World Mental Health Awareness Day (October 10). Megan von Isenburg, Director of the Medical Center Library, co-hosted an event with Le Well in the Seeley-Mudd library to give students a space to relax and enjoy snacks while coloring and painting rocks with inspirational messages.        

In observance of World Mental Health Day on October 10, 2025, Le Well brought snacks, Mental Health awareness pins, coloring pages, and river rocks to the Medical Center Library to bring awareness and positivity to interested students, residents, faculty and staff.

Dr. Gagliradi with the Art that she colored
Dr. Jane Gagliardi, Associate Dean for Learning Environment and Well-Being, demonstrates the positive energy that can come from mindful engagement in an activity such as coloring.

Dr. Jane Gagliardi, Associate Dean for Learning Environment and Well-Being, demonstrates the positive energy that can come from mindful engagement in an activity such as coloring

To be human and to experience emotions is quite normal, and not all emotion is pathological.  A number of non-clinical services are available to support School of Medicine students. 

  • Proactive Well-being check-ins: Le Well is engaged in a project, funded by The Duke Endowment, to proactively assess and connect students to resources that will help them thrive.  Jeanine Bandini, Le Well’s Well-Being Navigator, is meeting with all first-year students and is on target to complete her initial meetings before November.  She also is available to meet with students who would like help identifying accessible resources to support their well-being.  You can connect with Jeanine using this link: Le Well Student Referral Form
  • The Peer Collective:  Since July 2024, Dr. McLean Pollock has led an initiative, funded by a grant from Duke AHEAD, to train interprofessional School of Medicine students in active listening and empathic validation in order to create a cohort of peer support facilitators.  The Peer Collective meets monthly to brainstorm and implement opportunities to connect with and support students in interprofessional programs across the School of Medicine. 
  • 1:1 Peer Support:  Connecting individually with a near peer is an option that some students appreciate, particularly when that person is in a different health professions training program
  • Constructive Dialogue Institute’s Perspectives in Academic Medicine curriculum:  Sometimes it can be challenging to connect with people whose opinions and values seem different from our own.  For individuals interested in learning how to “bridge across differences,” new cohorts are open for enrollment in November and December.  Find more information and sign up here.
  • Duke Arts Create:  Le Well’s collaboration includes workshops on the 6th floor of Trent Semans Center for Health Education on November 4 and 18, with a plan to return to twice-monthly workshops from January through April.  SOM students are also eligible to register for and participate in Duke Arts Create workshops in other campus locations.
  • Musical Rounds: This group provides an opportunity for students to offer music to patients hospitalized at Duke and to connect with others to who enjoy planning and listening to music. 
  • Exercise/fitness: Be on the lookout for exercise workshops on 6th floor of TSCHE, compliments of Duke Recreation. 

Share