The Jed Foundation

mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, and The Jed Foundation, the leading nonprofit working to reduce emotional distress and prevent suicide among college students, are expanding their Peabody Award-winning “Half of Us” campaign with new content launching today that encourages students to support friends who may be struggling emotionally. New additions to the campaign include on-air content featuring interviews with students and high-profile artists; information on identifying and addressing mental health problems in peers; a Facebook application that encourages students to express their emotions and support each other; and public service announcements that empower students to move beyond the commonly used question “how are you?” to really see if friends are struggling and offer support if needed.

The “Half of Us” campaign takes its name from research showing that nearly half of all college students say they have been so depressed they couldn’t function at some point during the last year. A recent study out of the University of Texas at Austin also found that half of all college students have thought about suicide. Peers can play an important role in encouraging friends to get help for emotional problems – research conducted for the campaign found that over 75% would turn to friends if they were struggling. To make sure that students are prepared to help peers in need, the “Half of Us” campaign is focusing efforts on starting a healthy dialogue around mental health issues, giving students the information they need to identify common warning signs of a problem and preparing them to encourage friends to find the support they need.

“It's impossible to be in college today and not know someone who is struggling” said Ross Martin, Head of Programming for mtvU. “The 'Half of Us' campaign fights to shatter the stigma surrounding mental health, and empowers students to support each other when they need it most.  The signs are there, and now so is the help."

“The power of our partnership with mtvU is its ability to reach students where they are in a way they understand,” Courtney Knowles, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation adds, “These new efforts have the potential to empower millions of students watching mtvU, surfing the net and interacting on social networking sites.”

mtvU and The Jed Foundation will launch the following on-air and online content today:

• Ronnie Winter “Half of Us” Special – Ronnie Winter, lead vocalist for the popular band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, talks frankly about a childhood of addiction and abuse, his own struggles with depression during his college years, and how a friend helped pull him through this dark period in his life. This interview debuts today on mtvU and online at www.HalfofUs.com.

• New Mental Health Public Service Announcements (PSAs) -- mtvU will debut new PSAs throughout the semester that highlight the important role friends play in dealing with mental health issues. These PSAs encourage students to help friends who are struggling by looking out for the warning signs of a problem, offering support and connecting them with help if needed.

• New Student Portraits – Rachel and Lauren, students from Philadelphia University, talk candidly about Rachel’s history with bi-polar disorder and how Lauren has patiently supported her through the ups and downs. This feature is available today on www.HalfofUs.com and will air on mtvU. Additional student stories will be released later this semester.

• To Write Love on Her Arms “Half of Us” Special – Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide, shares how his personal experience with a friend in crisis led him to take action and help others. Debuts later this semester on www.HalfofUs.com.

• “My Mood Ring” Facebook Application: Earlier this year, “Half of Us” launched “My Mood Ring,” a Facebook application that allows users to express how they are feeling, see how their friends are doing and support each other by sending “vibes.” The application has been downloaded over 35,000 times. A “Mood Meter” has just been launched that shows the collective moods of all of the application’s users and provides a direct connection to the content, tools and resources on www.HalfofUs.com.

• New “Help a Friend” Online Resource Center -- www.HalfofUs.com, the campaign’s online hub that engages and informs college students on mental health, will feature new information on how young people can help friends confronting emotional issues. The site offers a confidential, safe space for students to learn more about mental health through interactive content, take an anonymous screening or access school-specific resources.