Active Minds was founded by Alison Malmon when she was a junior at the University of Pennsylvania following the suicide of her older brother Brian, who had concealed his struggles with depression and schizoaffective disorder for years, suffering in silence while believing he was the only one struggling. Recognizing that Brian’s story is the story of thousands of young people—with a majority of mental illnesses starting between ages 14 and 24 and suicide the second leading cause of death for college students—Alison created a student-to-student model to combat stigma, encourage early help-seeking, and prevent future tragedies. Finding no existing groups to bring to Penn, she formed what became Active Minds, spreading the message that mental health issues impact many people and seeking help is a sign of strength. What started as one campus group grew as students nationwide realized others shared their concerns, leading to a national organization incorporated in 2003 with chapters across the country.
Why It Matters: One in five students has a mental health condition, yet stigma and shame prevent reaching out—and the only way things get better is if young people start talking about it with each other. By using a peer-based approach where students lead conversations about mental health on their own campuses, Active Minds addresses the isolation that depression creates, the feeling of being the only one struggling that kept Brian Malmon silent for three years. The focus on student advocacy and action recognizes that changing campus culture requires young people themselves driving the change, creating communities where mental health struggles are normalized, and help-seeking becomes a sign of strength rather than shame.
