According to available data, there has been an increasing mental health epidemic on college campuses around the United States for quite some time. For this reason, Matt West and Matt Cook have set out on the  "Just Be You" college tour, which will continue to run through 2023.

These days, it could be tempting for some to attribute any mental health issue to the COVID-19 outbreak and safety measures that were put in place. Not all was peaches and cream before 2020. For instance, research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry indicated that over half of the college-aged population surveyed between 2001 and 2002 experienced a mental illness the year before. To give  perspective on time, this occurred twenty years ago while Justin Timberlake was still a member of *NSYNC. A decade later, from August 2011 to November 2011, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) surveyed college students nationwide. Results showed that 73% had experienced some kind of mental health crisis while navigating college. In other words, even while the COVID-19 pandemic made the college mental health problem more visible, it was not what caused it.

The United States has been dealing with a mental health epidemic affecting people of all ages, not just college students for a very long time. I wrote about a Cigna-Ipsos study from 2018 for Forbes, which revealed that 46% of the Americans who replied felt alone "often or constantly" and 43% thought their relationships were meaningless. What has been happening in society at large may be reflected in what is happening on college campuses, however there may be additional difficulties that come with being in college making matters worse. According to Susan Birne-Stone, Ph.D., LCSW, a therapist, talk show producer, and host from New York City, "college is a period when mental health difficulties may begin or worsen for many individuals." College students are moving from late adolescence to early adulthood from a developmental standpoint when big life choices are being made. According to Birne-Stone, this is particularly true for students who "move away" to school since it may be their first experience living away from home. Many people encounter a newfound sense of freedom, unanticipated obligations and lack of structure. A student may have never had to handle so many things at once before college. As someone once stated “I have 99 deadlines and 97 of them are due by the end of the week, the last two deadlines were last week.

What role does Matt West, Matt Cook and the “Just Be You” college tour play in this? Matt West himself attend college, earning a double masters from Pepperdine University in 2008 and can attest to the data found

In 2020, Matt West and Matt Cook co-founded Boom Journal, a Beverly Hills-based mental wellness company. Matt West and Matt Cook planned the six-day trip last year, which took place through six college campuses in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The tour's objective was to increase awareness of the numerous mental health problems college students face, as well as the accessible options for facing them. Before beginning a brief run or walk with the students and community at each tour stop, Matt West shared his own opinions and experiences. The audience then heard from panels of activists and specialists in the mental health field from nearby universities. The tour also raised funds for the Release Recovery Foundation's college scholarship program, which supports students pursuing addiction recovery and mental health care.

In a recent interview, Matt West recounted how kids expressed their difficult experiences in front of hundreds of classmates during these trips. Students included those who "did not have friends," "thought about their existence," "did not feel beautiful" or "felt like they were on an island" and were without access to services. From earlier years, when simply discussing mental health looked like a major no-no, the mere fact that kids are now ready to communicate such sentiments signified significant progress. In college, males "had to behave like really strong people, who had a lot of grit," Matt West said, the topic of how quickly you can bench press came up often. According to Matt West there are several misconceptions surrounding mental health, "if you visit a therapist, you are not cool," or “if you seek assistance or express your emotions, you are weak”, the reality, of course, is just the opposite. As Matt West put it, getting well was "the finest thing that ever happened to me."

Matt West would like to see more of these discussions regarding mental health. To "deepen the talks about mental health and make sure that everyone's scheduling buddies listen to each other," he implores all campus organizations, including fraternities and sororities, sports teams, mental health organizations and other student organizations. He has also underlined the necessity for university presidents to interact with the public while paying attention to what they have to say. There are far too many instances of children seeking assistance but not receiving it. Due to liability concerns, Matt West is concerned that "major institutions don’t want to tackle these problems. Even if you have a big rug, sweeping such issues under  and avoiding confrontation will only make them worse and come back to attack you.

Then there are the parents, who "may be part of the issue despite their best efforts," according to Matt West. Of course, parents may be helpful,many college students would not exist if their parents were not there. Nevertheless, parents may increase their children’s stress levels or make them feel more alone. In his account, Matt West described how his graduate degree has given him "so much self-worth. I felt the pressure, parents should "contact their kids, check up on them," he said. In addition, it's important that kids check in with themselves daily, which is the main reason Boom Journal has had the success it has made through their app of daily mindful journaling.

Matt West noted that even though the trip attracted thousands of participants, it is just the tip of the iceberg. He stated, "Boom Journal has a clear and concise plan," which will include future college visits in 2023 and beyond. "We are currently in the data collection phase, after which we will have lengthy discussions and conversations regarding results and putting together an action plan," he said. In other words, Matt West's "Just Be You" tour will continue and the payoff will be improving the mental health of college students and beyond.