Dixie State University Student Madalyn Forner Shares the Importance of Mental Health on College Campuses

About the Author

After graduating with her associate degree from Mesa Community College, Arizona native Kaylee Cluff transferred to Dixie State University. She is a junior at DSU and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She’s enjoying her time in southern Utah and is looking forward to exploring all the community has to offer.

By Kaylee Cluff

College students are in a transitional period of their lives, and many are experiencing living away from home for the first time. While academics are given high priority on college campuses, being mentally healthy is also a key factor to overall student success.

Recently, Dixie State University student Madalyn Forner participated in the Miss Dixie State pageant and shared her passion for mental health awareness and the importance of educating others about various mental illnesses.

In her essay to the judges, Forner noted that education helps remove the stigmas associated with mental illness. She also shared her own personal experiences with an overlooked mental illnesses. “Education matters because people like me are misdiagnosed every day,” Forner said. “Each year in the U.S., over twelve million adults who seek outpatient medical care receive a misdiagnosis. That number is why education matters.”

Forner’s own struggles and misdiagnosis left her feeling confused and alone. “Like many others, I was diagnosed with depression at a young age and was put on depression medication with no change to my mental state,” she explained. “No one even had the idea that maybe depression was a misdiagnosis. For years, this left me in the same state of mental turmoil that I had already experienced.”

It wasn’t until Forner suffered multiple suicide attempts that she went back to a psychiatrist and received a full diagnosis. “It took me almost dying to finally get some relief,” Forner shared. “When I think of others going through the same things I have gone through, I feel heartsick. Educating others on the subject of mental illness can not only increase tolerance and awareness, but it can also save lives from misdiagnoses.”

Dixie State University’s Booth Wellness Center, located on the DSU campus, has seen a patient increase of 120 percent since last fall as students utilize the mental health services that are available. Mental wellness and awareness are year-round issues and concerns for both Dixie State University and the Booth Wellness Center.

Jamy Dahle, assistant director and outreach coordinator at Booth Wellness, explained that mental health awareness is especially important on college campuses. “College students face many unique changes and challenges,” she said. “It is important to be aware that these experiences have the potential to create feelings of being overwhelmed, worried, isolated, lonely, unmotivated, and sad, just to name a few.”

Dahle explained that just as we all have physical health, everyone also has mental health. DSU is committed to engaging with students regarding their overall mental health with the services Booth Wellness Center provides, including destress events held near finals week.

In order to raise awareness for mental health challenges, in March of 2019, DSU’s song and dance team, Raging Red, released a cover of Dear Evan Hansen’s “You Will Be Found,” where they highlighted real students’ mental health challenges. The video called attention to the hope and healing that can be found by seeking help, creating connections, and staying strong.

It is incredibly important for anyone struggling with mental illness to know that they are not alone. Asking for help may seem difficult, but it is a critical first step in cultivating mental wellness.

To view the “You Will Be Found” video, go to dixie.edu/found. For more information about Dixie State University’s Booth Wellness Center, visit wellness.dixie.edu.