Nationally renowned college speaker Ross Szabo will address mental health issues facing young adults at Gustavus Adolphus College at 7 p.m. Monday, April 7 in Alumni Hall.
Szabo’s speech titled, “What Happy Faces Are Hiding: Talking About Depression,” will attempt to put a face to a problem confronting one in every five teenagers and young adults in the United States. Szabo himself was diagnosed “bipolar with anger control problems and psychotic features” at age 16. He has waged a battle against mental health issues and related problems ever since.
“When I speak, I am not speaking only for me — I am speaking about a generation,” Szabo said. “The older generation was quiet about mental illness. It is time for us to stop losing to old ways of dealing with mental health issues and start winning the battle.”
In 2007, Campus Activities magazine named Szabo “Best Male Performer” in its annual America’s Best Campus Artists issue. In addition to his public speaking career, Szabo serves as Director of Youth Outreach for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign.
This event is free and open to the public. It is being sponsored by the Alcohol and Drug Education Office, the Campus Activities Board, Health Services, the Residential Life Office, the Counseling Center, Safety and Security, the Wellness Program, the Phi Alpha fraternity, and the Dean of Students Office. For more information contact the Alcohol and Drug Education office at 507-933-7607.
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