RUNNING HEAD: MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

Mental Health Issue on College Campuses

Ashley Merrill
Fk8083
Wayne State University

MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

Mental health issues among college students have reached an all-time high in the recent
years in America. Every few months it seems to not even phase the public when another campus
shooting or violence leaving students dead or injured is the leading headline across television
screens all over the country. It seems as though media reports that come out days after tragic
events happen on campuses usually have one thing in common and that is that the perpetrator
had a history of mental health problems. Mental health problems not only have an impact on
college students in a violent way but also in their success in academia. College students are
feeling pressure more than ever to completing degrees in higher education as the job market
requirements for more advanced degrees rise.
Generally, the average college student is between 18-24 years old. The National Alliance
on Mental Illness (2015) concludes that by the time a young adult reaches 24 years of age, a
mental health illness exists in 75% of the given population. Professionals have diagnosed in the
last 12 months, over 25% of the college student population with a mental health illness (National
Alliance on Mental Illness, 2015). This statistic only includes those who have been treated by
professionals and part of the mental health problem among college students is the lack of seeking
professional help. The main reason for lack of treatment revolves around the stigma of mental
health illnesses. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (2015) also states that, Almost 73
percent of students living with a mental health condition experienced a mental health crisis on
campus. Yet, 34.2 percent reported that their college did not know about their crisis.
Mental health problems among college students are greatly impacted by anxiety and
depression due to stress and overwhelming feelings. While seeking help would be the logical
answer sometimes reaching out and asking for help or finding the resources available to help
treat these condition can add to the anxiety and stress already associated with the mental health

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condition one might already have. College campuses provide advising and counseling to their
students free of charge. The student can familiarize themselves with their academic advisor and
he or she can lead them to the correct counseling services. For example, at Wayne State
University located in Detroit, Michigan, students can receive counseling services free of charge
through the CAPS program, which stands for Counseling and Psychological Services (Wayne
State University, 2015). According to Wayne State University (2015) The goal of CAPS is to
provide the university community with counseling services to support student health, personal
well-being, and academic success. We achieve this goal through the progressive development of
the Counseling and Psychological Services ethical standards, quality of services, creativity, and
resourcefulness.
Students suffering from mental health illnesses have the resources available to them to
better understand what steps to take. Counseling provided on college campuses is not just for
academics but can be geared toward any distress a student may be experiencing. The CAPS
program at Wayne State University also focuses on relationships, families, depression, stress,
self-esteem, loss and motivation (Wayne State University, 2015). In addition to counseling many
universities also hold support groups and events for students. Some of the support groups
associated with CAPS include women empowerment, LGBT community, depression support,
graduate student support, self-esteem workshops, bi-polar support, and substance abuse support
groups (Wayne State University, 2015). While those are not all the support groups that Wayne
State University provides to its students, it shows the wide arrangement that help is out there for
almost every stressor that a student may have. The help and resources are there, so why are so
many college students still suffering in silence with mental health problems but not seeking help?
The Oxford Dictionary defines stigma as, A mark of disgrace associated with a

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particular circumstance, quality, or person (OxfordDictionariesDictionary,Thesaurus,&

Grammar,2015).Public and personal stigmas are the main reasons students are not seeking
help for their mental illnesses (Eisenberg, D., Downs, M., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K., 2009).
Stigmas can have a major impact on the likelihood of an adult reaching out for help. Words
associated with mental health illnesses veer on the negative side and include descriptions of
being crazy or dangerous. It has been shown in research that the use of medications, therapy
and sources of additional support for mental illnesses were associated with perspectives of
negativity when view by adults (Eisenberg, D., Downs, M., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K., 2009).
According to the empirical research article Stigma And Help Seeking For Mental Health Among
College Students, perceived public stigma may hinder people from using mental health services
to avoid possible criticism or discrimination from others. Personal stigma and self-stigma may
deter individuals from seeking help if service use implies acknowledgement of ones own mental
health problems and if the individuals negative attitudes about people with mental health
problems would harm her own self-esteem (Eisenberg, D., Downs, M., Golberstein, E., &
Zivin, K., 2009).
The reduction of mental health stigma is a probable solution to the lack of students taking
up beneficial resources for mental health problems. No student wants to be seen on campus as
having mental health issues, but the more college campuses bring mental health issues to the
surface the more awareness and the less stigma will be prevalent. Eisenberg, D., Downs, M.,
Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K., (2009) State that, findings indicate that stigmatizing attitudes vary
significantly across subgroups within college populations, which suggests that stigma-reduction
efforts may be more effective if strategies are tailored accordingly. The article Stigma And Help
Seeking For Mental Health Among College Students, concluded with its research that students

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are more likely to seek help with their mental health issues when stigma is minimized and
attitudes surrounding it are changed (Eisenberg, D., Downs, M., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K.,
2009).
The history of mental illness can shed light on what college students with mental health
issues deal with today. What is metal illness and when was it first identified? According to
Choice (2011), mental health was defined as behavior that was undesirable or often referred to as
madness. These undesirable behaviors were recognized in the United States colonies as far back
as the 1700s. Treatments of the mentally ill included less than humane treatments to the point
that farm animals were treated better than those that were considered lunatics. Mentally ill
individuals were kept in almshouses as a cheap way to board them. Many individuals in the
almshouses were subjected to physical abuse and neglect. Mentally ill residents were starved
and beaten as well as froze to the point of almost death in their cells (Day 2013). To treat those
that were mad the first asylum was built in Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia in 1796
(Choice 2011).
Mental health issues on college campuses were first identified by Amherst College of
Massachusetts in 1861 by providing the first center for health to college students on campus
(Kraft, 2011). In the article One Hundred Years of College Mental Health (2011), Kraft stated,
At the American Student Health Associations annual meeting in 1920, mental hygiene was
identified as critical for college campuses to assist students to reach their highest potential.
The definition of mental illness has changed significantly since it was first identified in
the 1700s. For example, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) defines mental
illness as collectively all diagnosable mental disorders or health conditions that are
characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof)

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associated with distress and/or impaired functioning. The definition of mental health has come
a long way from the undesirable and mad notions it carried in early colonization. Todays
definition of mental illness carries fewer stigmas than it did when it was first identified but, it is
not completely rid of stigma. Mental illness is more commonly known for being a mental
imbalance.
The treatments have also significantly changed. As mentioned earlier, those with mental
illness were treated horrifically whereas; today the treatments have greatly improved. In the
beginning of mental illness, people suffering were put away and hidden as opposed to actually
treating the illness and teaching those with it how to properly function in society. In regards to
college students, physical education was encouraged to help treat the mental illness and teachers
would provide assistance in counseling (Kraft 2011). In todays society we have much more
humane resources available to treat those with mental health issues. Treatments include
medication, therapy, individual and group counseling, and support groups, which encourage
those who suffer to cope with their issue. Specifically, when referring to college students in
across the United States there are specific resources available to students. The Counseling and
Psychological services program at Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan provides many
mental health specific programs as do many universities across the country including but is not
limited to help with anxiety, bi-polar disorder, stress, and depression (Wayne State University
2015). Historically, part of the problem for college students with lack of receiving treatment for
mental health issues was that the college setting had lacked having trained professionals to assist
students (Kraft 2011). According to Kraft (2011), In 1931, the first National Conference on
Health in Colleges was held in Syracuse, New York. It adopted a set of basic standards for
college health including mental hygiene services. Overtime, reform of mental health services

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adopted more productive policies and today they are still practiced including having a
multidisciplinary staff in colleges. These multidisciplinary staffs provide support to students
through psychiatrist, psychologists, and school social workers (Kraft 2011).
Even with the reform programs and multidisciplinary staffs to serve students today, the
stigma of mental health issues is still prevalent across colleges in America. While the definition
and policies have changed over time, the mark that history made in the beginning of mental
health identification of those being insane or mad still lingers. In the article Stigma and Help
Seeking for Mental Health Among College Students, it is noted that personal stigma is a greater
factor than public stigma when not seeking help. In addition, when it came to public stigma or
societal stigma, individuals were not less likely to seek treatment surrounding that factor but in
fact, more likely to not seek treatment because of interpersonal relationships with others such as
family, friends, or significant others and how they would be perceived within their close
relationships (Eisenberg, D., Downs, M., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K., 2009).
In reducing historical stereotypes and current stigma in help seeking behaviors, we must
first start within the micro level. In starting with the individual and personal stigmas, we can
then work our way up to reducing public stigma in society. In the specific case of college
students, the article Stigma and Help Seeking for Mental Health Among College Student, states,
College students have special significance for mental health policy as they represent a large
portion of people who are at an age when mental disorders often have first onset and may have
lasting implications id not treated properly. Indications of social contact and continuous
education on mental illness can be a key factor in reducing personal stigma (Eisenberg, D.,
Downs, M., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K., 2009).

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History has affected the way mental illnesses are perceived today. Those with mental
illnesses and specifically college students are suffering at great lengths in seeking help mainly
due to historical stigma. There are resources available on college campuses to help students but
the number of students reaching out is lacking. Once we can reduce and eventually eliminate the
stigma young adults in college face, we then can hopefully see a higher rate of college students
completing their degrees.
My personal beliefs on the problem are congruent with my professional sources in this
paper. I believe that the stigma surrounding mental illness is the main culprit when college
students do not take it upon themselves to seek help. I feel that mental health awareness has
been brought more to the surface lately in movies, television, the news, and the internet. I do
feel that public education on the specific illnesses need to be addressed. Also, we need to rid the
stereotypes that come along with mental illnesses. In my personal experience anyone can have a
mental illness and they are not crazy. Previously, I lived with a roommate who seemed to have
everything together on the outside. She had a great job and friends and everything seemed fine.
One day though she seemed to be rather off and ended up checking herself into a rehab center. It
was then that she was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. She had been living with it for quite a
while and knew something was wrong but did not want tot seek treatment because she felt others
would look at her differently. Once she overcame the stigma she was able to get help before it
was too late. I saw first hand what a mental health issue that is hidden could do to an individual.
The problem of mental health issues among college campuses relates strongly to the
values and ethics of social work. There are several treatments available for mental health issues
and the main two treatments are medication and therapy. When choosing what treatment to go
with I believe that if someone is taking medication that they could benefit from therapy as well.

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I also believe that choosing to go to therapy over medication is a great alternative to treat mental
health issues. My goal in social work is to become a clinical social worker and treating patients
with mental health issues will be prevalent among my field of choice. As social workers we
must remain competent and follow the code of ethics in treating clients with mental health issues.
Also as social workers it is our job to keep advocating for more public education to lessen the
stigma surrounding mental health issues. By spreading education among college campuses I
believe it can help.
Mental illness can affect anyone. It is widely hidden by students in the college
community and many are not seeking the help the need. By college students not seeking help it
affects their college careers with consequences of lower grades and dropping out. From the
beginning of mental health identification there has been a stigma. Even though we have much
more data and knowledge surrounding mental health the stigma remains. In my time as a social
worker I will make it my job to help those who suffer and educate those who do not.

References

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Choice,H.(2011,June).Madness:AnAmericanhistoryofmentalillnessanditstreatment.
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Day, P. J. (2013). A New History of Social Welfare (7th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn &
Bacon.
Eisenberg, D., Downs, M., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K. (2009). Stigma And Help Seeking For
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OxfordDictionariesDictionary,Thesaurus,&Grammar.(n.d.).RetrievedJanuary30,2015,
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Welcome - CAPS - Wayne State University. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2015, from
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