SCHOLARSHIP & ENGAGEMENT RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: MARCO YZER

❙ BY REGAN CARTER

OVER THE LAST DECADE, THE NARRATIVES SURROUNDING

Many of the leading minds in related fields never work together to connect their findings and discover new solutions, often because there simply are not easy opportunities to meet researchers from other disciplines.

mental health have changed dramatically. More and more people feel comfortable discussing mental health issues and challenges out in the open. Most importantly, a growing number of Americans feel comfortable seeking professional help for their mental health.

Despite these positive trends, Dr. Marco Yzer believes that there is still work to be done. His research tackles the challenge of reaching those affected by mental health issues in a language and messaging mode that resonates with them.

Messages Lost In Translation

As Yzer began his study of messaging intended for those struggling with depression, he noticed an odd pattern. Some of the messages that aimed to persuade people to seek help for their depression simply didn’t land. Even worse, some messages made people with depression feel even less motivated to seek help.

To understand how this can happen, consider this: if you’re trying to make a point to people in Germany who only speak the German language fluently, it would make sense to write your message in German. That way, your intended audience can comprehend what you are trying to say and connect more readily with your content. If you were to say the exact same thing in English, you would have a significantly lower chance of reaching your German audience. You may even run the risk of offending a few audience members if your message in English happens to sound like a rude one in German. In the end, one language would prove more effective than the other, even though the main point in your messaging remained the same.

In a similar pattern, Yzer noted that some of the messages aimed at those in need of professional mental health assistance, while well intended, had no real shot of sticking with their targets. He was “increasingly concerned that most researchers did not consider the cognitive characteristics of mental illness when they developed and tested messages” intended to guide people to seek help. The language that was being used, while well-intended, could trigger the very thoughts that someone with mental health issues might battle.

As in the case of the German-speaking audience, much of the messaging intended to convince someone to seek treatment for mental health issues can be rendered moot due to their phrasing alone. No matter how strong the presented evidence may be, the reasoning of an argument can become ineffective because the wording and structure of the message doesn’t resonate with people who are afflicted by mental health issues.

This language barrier is one that Yzer is determined to overcome.

Finding The Arguments That Last

From Yzer’s perspective, finding messages that resonate with audiences suffering from depression, anxiety, and other common mental health issues is a very complex but not an impossible task. It does, however, require a new approach.

That’s why Yzer, along with his co-editor Jason Siegel, a professor at Claremont Graduate University, is putting together a one-of-a-kind anthology headed for publication in the latter half of 2024.

Yzer is particularly excited about this project, and not only because he is personally interested in mental health communication. This new book will bridge a number of gaps in mental health research. He believes that “if you want to communicate health, you must understand health science.” However, he said, a number of powerful voices in today’s scientific spaces “never talk to each other.” Many of the leading minds in related fields never work together to connect their findings and discover new solutions, often because there simply are not easy opportunities to meet researchers from other disciplines.

As an active step towards combating this scientific isolation, the upcoming book brings together communication scholars, medical doctors, anthropology experts, psychologists and more. All of the findings and ideas contributed to this volume surround the topic of mental health messaging. With more than 35 articles and research discussions slated to make it into the final publication, Yzer hopes that people will pull from the volume what they need from the experts that they understand the best.

The practice of advocating for those struggling with mental health is something that Yzer is proud to bring into his daily work life. As a Mental Health Advocate through Boynton Health at the University of Minnesota, he has the unique opportunity to work with students on a personal level. This team of staff and faculty members is charged with finding ways to help support students as they navigate the highs and lows of college. Being a member of such a forward-thinking group is just one more part of Yzer’s goal to make mental health resources understandable and accessible to all.

MEET A STUDENT: ALEX STEIL

The next Minnesota Daily editor-in-chief was made for his new role.

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INTERVIEW BY AMANDA FRETHEIM GATES

Junior Alex Steil grew up in Lake Elmo, Minn., and attended Stillwater High School, where his love for writing began. Now a double major in music and journalism, with a minor in political science, Steil is pleased with how all his interests overlap and how as a journalism major, he never stops learning.

Q Why did you decide to pursue your majors?

A When I was still in high school, I knew that I wanted to do something with writing. I was unsure whether straight journalism or more musical writing, like program notes or something similar, was what I wanted to do. After learning more about both careers in a professional sense, I knew that journalism was going to be the fit for me. I started off as a copy editor at the Daily my freshman year, then moved quickly over to the state legislature beat—and I loved it. After getting that real, hands-on experience (that I really don’t think I could have gotten anywhere else other than the Daily) I fell in love. I came back for the fall on a general assignment beat and applied for EIC that following spring. Even though I’m continuing the music major now more as a hobby, my love for journalism as a craft has really solidified over this past calendar year or so.

Q What has been your favorite part of your experience at the Hubbard School?

A My favorite part of the Hubbard School, hands down, has been the variety of classes (and students within them). My first semester at school I was with students who were studying psychology then the next I was studying administrative law with an emphasis on advertising. Everything is always so fascinating here—the faculty and students really have made the whole experience all worth it.

Q What is one aspect of your major that most surprised you?

A Although I’m not surprised by learning here, I am surprised by how much I’m learning. I’ve been acquainted with AP style and journalistic writing since my sophomore year in high school—yet just the other day I learned a new AP style rule. I’m always learning something new with a journalism degree, no matter how long I’ve been reading the news or writing clips. That said, within the broader College of Liberal Arts, I have been really pleased with how all of my majors are complementing each other.

Q What class or professor has had the biggest impact on you?

A It’s a tough call, but I would have to go with Jonathan Anderson or Seth Richardson. Not only are they respectable professors and kind people, but they have also had professional backgrounds in journalism. I have talked with both of them about ethical questions and more nitty-gritty aspects of being a journalist, more so than I have my other professors. I could go on about them both, but they are two really high-level thinkers and teachers.

Q What do you hope to bring to the Minnesota Daily as EIC?

A This year as EIC, I’m hoping to build our community— both internally as an organization and externally as a community newspaper. Internally, I’m hoping to bring people back into the office for various production functions. Externally, however, I want the organization to have even stronger bonds with the community. I want the Daily to be seen as a community newspaper that represents the community, not just because we know what’s going on but concurrently because our community knows they can come to us with ideas for articles or topics to cover.

Q What advice do you have for future journalism students and/or MN Daily reporters?

A Never be afraid to ask. While it may sound cliche or oft-repeated, asking for something (especially as a journalist) can get you some of the best stories, quotes or opportunities. The number of contacts I have that can pitch me stories because I have asked them what’s going on, professionals that I have in my network or events that I have gotten to cover simply because I asked is astonishing to me. Asking for advice, professionally or personally, has gotten me very far in this career and I can not undersell this quality in a journalist: never stop asking questions, either of professionals for your own career learning or of sources.