KEENE, N.H. 9/30/08 - Keene State College will join mental health advocates across the country the first week in October to celebrate Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW). The U.S. Congress established MIAW in 1990 to raise awareness, promote early detection and accurate diagnosis, and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. The College will host several events during the week, all free and open to the public.

On Tuesday, October 7, the ActingOut Company will present "Inspiring Hope: Stories of Breakthrough or Resolution while Facing Life's Challenges," at 6:30 p.m. in the Night Owl Café, KSC Student Center. Using "playback" theater, ActingOut will explore issues of mental health, family struggles, school, and peer challenges. The performers will ask audience members for stories from their own lives about times that were challenging but where they knew they would be able to get through it. Acting Out's programming is funded in part by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, Monadnock United Way, and the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services.

On Wednesday, October 8, a panel discussion, "In Our Own Voice," will start at 7 p.m. in the Madison Street Lounge, Student Center. Presenters from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Granite State Monarchs, and the Counseling Center will share their stories of struggle and success as they have lived with mental illness. Refreshments will be provided by First Course, sponsored by the Monadnock Center for Successful Transitions.

All week (Monday - Friday) from noon to 3 p.m., Active Minds Student Organization will host information tables in the Student Center Atrium.

Mental Illness Awareness Week at Keene State is sponsored by the KSC Counseling Center, the Center for Health & Wellness, the Office of Disability Services, Active Minds Student Organization, Psi Chi Psychology Honors Society, Granite State Monarchs Peer Support Organization, the Campus Commission on Multiculturalism and Diversity, the NH branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, ActingOut Company, and Monadnock Center for Successful Transitions.

For more information contact Forrest Seymour, 603-358-2047.

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