Feb. 3 was not only the first day back to school after a maelstrom of snow days, but the first day of Mental Wellness Week, organized by the Jefferson Active Minds club. Each day, a TED talk will be playing in room 123, accompanied by a discussion led by a faculty member.

“I think that a lot of students are just not really aware how prevalent mental wellness issues are, and more importantly how to improve mental wellness in a school where we’re just bombarded by stress,” senior Richard Wang said.

Today’s talk, “Toward a new understanding of mental illness” was about the current loose treatment of “brain disorders,” rather than the anticipatory medical practices that ought to take place. For example, in medicine, preventative practices are common, whereas in “mental illnesses” many often wait for symptoms to manifest.

“We have to help people make the jump from the medical perspective sticking to physical health to the medical perspective to mental health, too,” Greg Myers, the Jefferson school psychologist, said. “It’s healthy to check in about your mental health and mental wellness periodically.”

Watch today’s TED talk here and look for updates on Mental Wellness Week on the Active Minds Facebook event here!