Student group aims to increase awareness of mental health in pharmacy

Initiative for Mental Health in Pharmacy provides mental health resources and educational events

Jenna Rizzo (2T3) and Savana Elsays (2T4), co-presidents of the student group Initiative for Mental Health Awareness in Pharmacy (IMHAP) at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, share an interest in helping pharmacy students become more knowledgeable about and comfortable with mental health issues. And they hope that students can use this knowledge to not only provide better care for their patients in the future, but also care for their own mental health.

“We want to get students involved and thinking about their own mental health and that of their loved ones,” says Rizzo. “But we also want them to be able to apply that awareness to their practice and their future as a pharmacist and build trusting relationships with their patients.”

Rizzo and Elsays both joined the IMHAP executive team two years ago, becoming co-presidents in September 2021. They have led the group through a time when many students are facing mental health challenges with related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including social isolation and continual disruptions to life and school.

In response to these challenges, IMHAP has provided resources to support students and created opportunities for students to share with one another through their “Mindful Mondays” social media campaign and “Collective Conversations” virtual bulletin board of resources. “It is important that we have these outlets and resources for students,” says Elsays, recognizing it can be hard for some students to reach out for support.

IMHAP aims to reduce stigma and empower students

The group also organizes educational and career events for students, such as a recent panel discussion with pharmacists working in neuropsychiatry to provide information and answer questions about that career path. They also recently collaborated with the student group Pharmacy Awareness of Indigenous Health on an event with Jaris Swidrovich, Assistant Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, who spoke about mental health in Indigenous communities. They also organize an annual movie night that includes a screening of a film related to mental health or illness and a discussion afterward.

Rizzo and Elsays hope that increasing awareness and knowledge will reduce the stigma associated with mental health, for both pharmacy professionals and patients.

“Pharmacists can play an important role in reducing the stigma around mental health and creating a safe space for patients to feel comfortable, even if they’re not coming in to talk about medications,” says Rizzo. “We can look out for warning signs or risk factors that patients may have for developing a mental illness or substance use disorder, provide them with a safe space to talk about and let them know that we won’t judge them.”

They also want to empower students to feel they have a role to play in mental health, even if they aren’t specializing in this field or dispensing psychiatric medications at the community pharmacy.

“Being able to detect these issues in your patients and making the time to talk to them, more than simply having a transactional relationship with the patient, can go really far,” adds Elsays. “It’s important that we pick up on these cues, ask the right questions, and be sensitive, empathetic and compassionate as we interact with our patients.”