Those practicing veterinary medicines were found to be more likely to commit suicide than the general public according to a 2019 survey. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Lantern File Photo
After learning those practicing veternary medicine are at a higher risk for suicide than the general public, Chloe Englehart, former president of the Ohio State’s Pre-Veterinary Medical Association and a graduate veterinary medicine student, partnered with the Happiness Campaign to combat the issue.
The Happiness Campaign was created by students in 2020 as an initiative that collaborates with student organizations to promote healthy habits through small, daily tasks, Kristine Cao, president of the campaign and a fourth-year in data analytics and math, said. After students log their tasks, a donation is made to the charity of their student organization’s choice, Cao said.
Englehart said in an email the veterinary medical profession is a “grueling one” where those in the field might deal with situations that slowly degrade their mental and physical health, and the campaign fosters a healthy outlook on mental health.
“I think the Happiness Campaign does a wonderful job in encouraging individuals to really reflect on themselves and their mental/physical state,” Englehart said.
Cao said the campaign partners with a new student organization every month and has participants take a survey from the original cohort group’s study. The survey contains qualitative questions about the individual’s feelings used to calculate their overall happiness.
Participants are then given a list of five tasks — such as sleeping eight hours a day, meditating and writing someone a letter — to choose from and complete each day, Cao said. Once completed, the tasks can be logged online for a 10-cent donation to a nonprofit of the organization’s choice.
Englehart said these small tasks proved to be successful in helping increase her overall wellness.
“By doing one task a day, I gave my head and body a rest by doing something else that was good for it, and sometimes we don’t always make time to do these things on the daily,” Englehart said.
Cao said at the end of the monthly period, participants are asked to retake the wellness survey, and their two sets of answers are compared to assess if the daily tasks provided an increased “happiness” among individuals. Cao said the campaign has proven to be successful in those improvements every month.
Englehart said the Happiness Campaign partnered with the Fisher College of Business Honors Cohort in February.
Tyler Shepfer, advisor of the Happiness Campaign and academic director for the honors cohort, said the program offers opportunities for members to improve their leadership skills by organizing a service project dedicated to improving the community.
Shepfer said while “correlation does not equal causation” for every aspect, there is a clear, positive relationship between the small challenges and a student’s mental health. He said he hopes the collaboration continues after the current members graduate.
Cao said the students looking to get involved can attend the campaign’s weekly Tuesday meetings in Hitchcock Hall, or they can suggest an organization to participate.
“You don’t have to be a part of our club to be focused on your own mental health,” Cao said. “I think just even being aware of what our message stands for, it speaks a lot to how you can help yourself.”
