The Operation Brain team at UT–Austin
UT–Austin APhA–ASP Chapter members Helen Zhou (left) and Michelle Tran provided students with handmade anti-stress bubble wrap packages during finals week last fall.
Public perception of mental health has undergone great changes over the past several decades. Topics such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were often disregarded and only rarely viewed as diseases. Even now, mental illnesses are still associated with a large stigma and many people view the issues as something to “get over” rather than to treat. Although there is a more public understanding that has increasingly developed on the subject, the outdated concept of ignoring mental illnesses is still extremely harmful to afflicted patients.
With this in mind, The University of Texas (UT) at Austin College of Pharmacy APhA–ASP Chapter started a new operation last year called Operation Brain. The initiative emphasizes enhancing the mental health awareness and education for both student pharmacists and patients.
Operation Brain has two main objectives: to facilitate conversation around mental health and to concurrently help health professionals in need.
Personal touches
To begin the initiative, we invited the University of Texas Mental Health and Counseling Center to lead an interactive discussion on stress and self-care at the college of pharmacy. The meeting led students to identify signs of stress in oneself and others, and ways to combat stress. The talk addressed one of the most helpless moments of realizing someone may be in mental distress: not knowing how to intervene.
To continue the discourse, the chapter hosted a mental health and suicide dialogue led by Mitch Sudolsky, a social work clinical professor at UT. The dialogue gave the students a safe space to voice concerns and ask questions regarding suicidal ideation and intervention. Sudolsky emphasized the environmental and socioeconomic factors that contribute to mental illnesses and talked about how to acknowledge rather than ignore them.
Additionally, one of the busiest times for students and faculty is at the end of the year during final examinations. To alleviate the high stress environment, we created Operation Brain-personalized bubble wraps with inspirational messages and hand-drawn sketches. These were handed out to university students and faculty members to provide encouragement and a way to de-stress. In a time period when isolation often stems from electronic communications and digital media, Operation Brain provided an intimate touch through each bubble wrap package.
Responding to tragedy
As the first year of Operation Brain’s existence came to a close, UT–Austin was suddenly struck by tragedy. This past May, a student on campus went on a stabbing rampage that injured three students and took another student’s life. At the same time, a bomb threat was initiated on campus. As reports and rumors spread, various sources detailed stabbings and door-to-door assaults in the nearby West Campus student living area. These reports were later proven to be untrue. Caught up in the moment, students were just as afraid of going home as they were afraid of staying on campus.
As the events and panic were ongoing, the chapter’s Operation Brain team compiled and published a list of trusted links and news sources from the UT Police as well as the Austin Police Department. The operation also included emergency contact information and resources for physical and mental wellness. The message to travel together and only trust reputable sources was spread along social media and provided students a chance to stay updated and safe as well as to seek help in the following days.
Potential for more
As the operation grows and matures, our chapter hopes to expand further into direct patient care. There is so much potential for student pharmacists to affect the lives of those afflicted by mental illnessess. The hope of Operation Brain is that the mental health efforts that begin at a single chapter might someday spread to become a national initiative.
James Cong is a third-year, and Coco Kuo is a second year, PharmD candidate at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy.