OUR MISSION

IfYoureReadingThis.org is a mental health community that empowers students to build and tap into their support networks by amplifying the faces and stories of our communities. We strive to help students feel comfortable talking to somebody about their mental health, by identifying the people who want to listen, and by showing an outpouring of love and understanding.

we hope IfYoureReadingThis:

  • Promotes a culture of mental wellness and empathy.

  • Creates community around mental health on campus.

  • Erases stigma surrounding mental illness.

  • Empowers you to reach out.

  • Reduces the rates of suicide on college campuses.

We hope our authorS:

  • Inspire you to connect with them or others on campus.

  • Show you that you are not alone.

  • Demonstrate the strength of vulnerability.

  • Share new coping strategies with you.

  • Illustrate that there is no one path to recovery.

If you’re reading this, you are not alone.

Our Why

Mental health is for everyone

We all have emotions, feelings, thoughts, and moods that influence our internal environment and subjective well being. Therefore, everyone has mental health, and everyone’s experience is worth talking about.

Young adults are disproportionately impacted by mental illness

1 in 3 U.S. young adults (aged 18-25) experience mental illness, and young adults have the highest prevalence of mental illness compared to other age groups (1,2). Additionally, mental illness tends to manifest in adolescence to young adulthood, with 75% of all lifetime mental illness beginning by age 24 (3).

Mental health is too important to ignore

13.3% of college students reported seriously considering suicide within the last 12 months. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in adults aged 15-25 (4,5).

Our Design

Why DO We Focus on Social Support?

Social support networks are proven to be one of our most effective coping tools. Current and established research has shown that social relationships and social support networks are key to subjective well-being and have a demonstrated positive effect on mental health (6-13). Additionally, building and utilizing social support networks is accessible to virtually everyone.

Why Are We a Website?

It’s all about access. To us, this looks like: No cost, no time constraints, no wait times, no barrier to entry.

We hope to break down traditional barriers to access in mental health care, including financial costs, limited appointment availability, long wait times, and (sometimes) intimidating wait rooms.

We try to meet students where they’re at (aka online) and provide a free, discrete, anywhere, anytime boost in morale. With a website, there are no apps required to download, no learning curve, no fees, no insurance charges, no hoping you get off the waitlist. All you need is access to the internet, which all college students have via their school libraries. 

Why Do We Post Letters?

The fear of stigma or judgment often prevents students from reaching out when they are struggling. Building a support network is difficult when students are unsure if they’ll be met with support and empathy. We post letters to give people the opportunity to come forward first and share the responsibility of being vulnerable, closing the gap between students with mental health challenges and the people that care about them. 

Additionally, throughout history letters have served as a space for necessary discourse and conversation, as well as a voice-affirming therapeutic outlet. Telling stories through letters is a means for those struggling to make sense of their suffering and help their healing. Beyond this, when others who may be hurting read the vulnerability and honesty shared in these letters, they then become empowered with the strength and courage to be honest with the people around them, and even share letters of their own. (14-16)

Why Do We Share Photos and Names?

In 2016, when our founder Alexandra began thinking about what resource she wished existed while she was struggling with depression, she thought a lot about how most resources, groups, and forums at the time were anonymous. At IfYoureReadingThis.org, our letter authors demonstrate that mental health is not a topic we should be ashamed to talk about. By connecting their face and name with their story, our authors not only cast off the stigma around mental health, but also welcome their friends and peers to connect with them offline.

References

  1. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mental Health By the Numbers. NAMI. Published April 2023. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.nami.org/mhstats

  2. National Institute of Mental Health. Mental Illness. NIH National Institute of Mental Health. Published March 2023. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness

  3. Kessler R, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas K, Walters E. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.Published correction appears in Arch Gen Psychiatry. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2005; 62(7):768. Merikangas, Kathleen R [added]].. 2005;62(6):593-602. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593

  4. American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive Summary. American College Health Association. Published Spring 2019. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.acha.org/NCHA/ACHA-NCHA_Data/Publications_and_Reports/NCHA/Data/Reports_ACHA-NCHAIIc.aspx.

  5. National Institutes of Mental Health. Suicide. National Institute of Mental Health-National Institutes of Health (NIMH-NIH). Published May 1, 2023. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.

  6. Diener E & Seligman M. Very Happy People. Psychological Science. 2002; 13(1), 81-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00415

  7. Strazdins L, & Broom D. The mental health costs and benefits of giving social support. International Journal of Stress Management. 2007; 14(4), 370–385. https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.14.4.370

  8. Langeland E, Wahl A. The impact of social support on mental health service users' sense of coherence: a longitudinal panel survey. Int J Nurs Stud. 2009; Jun;46(6):830-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.12.017. Epub 2009 Feb 7. PMID: 19201408. 

  9. Brown S, Nesse R, Vinokur A, & Smith D. Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it: Results from a prospective study of mortality. Psychological Science. (2003); 14(4), 320–327. doi:10.1111/1467-9280.14461

  10. Helsen M, Vollebergh W, & Meeus W. Social support from parents and friends and emotional problems in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 2000; 29(3), 319–335. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1005147708827)

  11. Stillman T, Baumeister  R, Lambert N., Crescioni A, DeWall C, & Fincham F. Alone and without purpose: Life loses meaning following social exclusion. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2009;45(4), 686–694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.03.007)

  12. McDonald K. Social Support and Mental Health in LGBTQ Adolescents: A review of the literature, Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2018; 39:1, 16-29, DOI: 10.1080/01612840.2017.1398283

  13. Wang J, Mann F, Lloyd-Evans B. et al. Associations between loneliness and perceived social support and outcomes of mental health problems: a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry. 2018; 18, 156. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1736-5

  14. Schares E, Stanisci J. Family Letter Writing as Embodied Performace Praxis. Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies. 2022; 18(4), 1-5. http://liminalities.net/18-4/writing.pdf

  15. Stanisci J. Leaning on Letters: Staging Letter Writer Performance as Mental Health Advocacy. [Dissertation]. Villanova University:  ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. 2022; 1, 1-17.

  16. Frank, Arthur W. Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics, Second Edition. Univ Of Chicago Press, 2013.