Mental illness stigma and disclosure among college students

College students experiencing mental illnesses believe that stigma is a further limitation to social engagements, relationships, community socialization and treatment seeking (Salzer, 2012). Data has suggested that colleges are places where students find themselves struggling with mental illnesses. Estimates show that 17. 3% of the college students suffer from depression, panic disorder stands at 4. 1% while generalized anxiety disorders are estimated to be 7%. Corrigan et al (2016) found out that self-stigmatization was a substantive barrier to students willing to seek out support. In truth, participation in open discussions promotes mental wellness, especially when it is done among peers such as college students. The connectedness helps break down the perceptions of stigmatization against those experiencing mental illnesses and promotes self-esteem, efficacy and improve affirmations in these individuals.

Kristin et al in his study ‘Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness among College Students’, (Kosyluk et al, 2016) they found out that education and contact-based stigma reduction strategies were effective in reducing mental illness stigma. The study findings showed that college students who were recruited as participants in the study experienced change resulting from their interpersonal contact with the students with mental illnesses. It is also very important to note a large subset of mentally ill college students who are not able to qualify for disability services. This student, therefore, are limited to options of receiving support from Campus support. However, this phenomenon continues to be hindered by stigma with most students not utilizing the availability of these services on the campus (Yamaguchi et al, 2013).

Students may fear being publicly seen by their peers at the counseling center or Campus support groups. Being seen as mentally ill is seen by these students as a risk of being discriminated upon or stigmatized (Yamaguchi, 2013). Almost 15% of the students supported disclosure on their mental illness and 16% assented to joining programs such as Coming out Program. The authors state that public stigma is an intermediary for sensitivity to the negative attitudes and prejudice as well as discrimination experienced by students with mental illness. Also, it was noted that students in four-year colleges perception towards mental illness and stigma tends to vary from those students in community colleges (Corrigan et al, 2016). Additionally, the level of denial for mental health illnesses and lack of adequate treatment are common problems in students.

Failing by students to acknowledge that they have mental illnesses makes them fail to disclose their mental illness experiences and therefore the mental health problems will continue persisting. However, students with mental illnesses do not largely access social support services available in college settings because of fear of stigma and other negative consequences. References Callard, F.  Mental illness, discrimination, and the law: fighting for social justice. John Wiley & Sons. Corrigan, P.  Journal of Mental Health, 25(3), 224-230. Eisenberg, D. , Speer, N. , & Hunt, J. B. Challenging the stigma of mental illness among college students.  Journal of adolescent health, 59(3), 325-331. Salzer, M. S. A comparative study of campus experiences of college students with mental illnesses versus a general college sample. Effects of short-term interventions to reduce mental health-related stigma in university or college students: a systematic review.