Dr. Mohsan Beg
Student Counselling Centre
University of Windsor
CAW Centre, Room 293
Windsor, ON N9B 3P4
March 7, 2016
Dear Dr. Beg,
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 20 million people live with
depression and bipolar disorder in the United States. These illnesses are often diagnosed between
the ages of 18 and 25, suggesting that several of your students – perhaps as many as 1 in 15 –
live and deal with a mood disorder on a daily basis. While appropriate treatment and therapy
are important to recovery from depression and bipolar disorder, so is the support of others,
particularly the support of those who also live with a mood disorder.
With this in mind, we hope that you’ll consider working with the University of Windsor
chapter of Active Minds to start a peer-led support group for college students living with
mood disorders on the University of Windsor campus. Working in concert with a local
chapter of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), DBSA Metropolitan Detroit,
members of the University of Windsor chapter of Active Minds will facilitate and run the
support group, though it will fall under the umbrella of DBSA Metropolitan Detroit. It is also our
hope that this new support group will be affiliated with the University of Windsor Student
Counselling Centre and benefit from the resources you and your staff offer to the community at
large.
Groups like Active Minds at the University of Windsor provide a network of like-minded peers
for student mental health advocates on campus. Even with an Active Minds chapter on the
University of Windsor’s campus, Active Minds members and other students living with a mood
disorder may find themselves in need of a more comprehensive support program. Peer support
groups like those offered through local chapters of DBSA provide a safe and confidential space
for people affected by mood disorders to share experiences, discuss coping skills, and offer hope
to one another. Along with the sense of community and camaraderie mutual support groups can
offer, one DBSA survey also suggests that individuals who participate in peer support show a
lower rate of hospitalization and a higher rate of maintaining their treatment plans.
We hope the University of Windsor Student Counselling Centre will consider working with
Active Minds at the University of Windsor to establish a DBSA peer-led support group on your
campus. We will follow-up with you in the next 2 to 3 weeks. If you have questions or concerns
in the meantime, please feel free to contact either of us using the phone or email addresses listed
below. We look forward to discussing this opportunity with you.
Sincerely,
Sara Abelson
Program Director
Active Minds, Inc.
sara@activeminds.org
(202) 332-9595 ext. 102
Ingrid Deetz
Director, Chapter Relations
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
ideetz@DBSAlliance.org
(800) 826-3632 ext. 157
Active Minds at the University of Windsor is a local chapter of the national non-profit
organization Active Minds, Inc. Active Minds, Inc develops and supports student-run mental
health awareness, education, and advocacy groups on college campuses throughout the United
States and Canada. There are over 160 chapters of Active Minds who are working with their
university counseling centers to reduce the stigma of mental illness on their campus. For more
information about Active Minds please visit www.activeminds.org.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has over 400 affiliated chapters that run nearly
1,000 peer support groups across the country. DBSA peer support groups are free, open-to-thepublic, and volunteer-facilitated. They are also a part of the largest grassroots network working
to improve the lives of those living with mood disorders nationwide. For more information about
DBSA, please visit www.DBSAlliance.org.