Battling the stigma of mental illness on campus
OTTAWA (CUP) — "I had
been struggling with severe anxiety
for a while, but I didn't really
want to get help because I was
embarrassed to admit that I had a
problem, especially since I didn't
know anyone else who felt the way
I did and I didn't really … well, I
didn't know if it was even 'a
thing', really.
"And there's such a stigma there. There was no way I could ask about it."
Kate Waddingham, a third-year student at the University of Ottawa, is one of many students to suffer silently from stress and anxiety. With agendas starting to fill up, life can get a bit overwhelming even for the most prepared student. It takes courage to ask for help, but according to Waddingham, it is worth it.
Waddingham decided to take a leap going to U of O health services after a close friend committed suicide. Once at the clinic, she was able to make an appointment with a counsellor for an hour and was walked through the referral process to get a therapist.
In an era where 24 per cent of deaths among youth ages 15 to 24 are caused by suicide, the issue of mental health support on campus is a very serious one.
"Our students recognize that mental health issues are a substantial concern on university campuses," explained Rylan Kinnon, executive director of Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). "Eighteen per cent (of people) ages 15 to 24 report a mental illness or substance abuse problem, and obviously a lot of university students fall in this demographic."
The hope is that our campuses can provide students with more support earlier on, recognizing those students who are having difficulty."
In May, OUSA released a submission to the Ontario government on the status and quality of student health services in the province. The report outlines the success of the Ontario government in providing adequate health care to campuses, but also recommends reform in terms of transparent fees and increased engagement in mental health.
Stigma
The report pinpoints the largest barrier to addressing mental health in post-secondary education is the stigmatization of mental illness.
Gordon Flett, a psychology professor in York University's Faculty of Health and Canada Research Chair in Personality and Health, has studied the effects of stress on the average student. He explained that students believe that if they were to ask for help, their friends, professors and family would think less of them.
"I know students put on the brave front, where they let on that everything is okay and no one really knows what kind of stress they are dealing with," Flett added. "So they need to get the message that there are a lot of other students dealing with the same things."
Kinnon reiterated that society needs to get past the stereotype that mental health is not socially acceptable or that the community won't understand.
"Stigma is an issue across all demographics, not just on university campuses. Because undergraduate students face a variety of pressures that can amplify existing mental health or contribute to the development of them, we really think it is crucial on campuses that students who are suffering believe that they can discuss it and can find support."
One of OUSA's solutions is that university staff receives professional training to deal with students who may be suffering from chronic depression or anxiety. McMaster University and Lakehead University are highlighted as examples of how staff can be informed about symptoms, emergency procedures and available services on campus or in the city through the Internet.
"I think most professors, whether they admit it or not ... if they were made to go to training on certain topics (regarding mental health), they would actually be grateful in the long run," said Flett.
A new journey
For many students, leaving high school and moving into residence in a new city with new responsibilities can be a trigger for mental illness. Approximately 40 per cent of students have visited support services by their fourth-year at university.
Flett's most recent research on perfectionism and procrastination sketched an accurate view of how that drive to do well in school could negatively impact health.
"Students indicated how often they have had thoughts like this over the past week — why didn't I start earlier; I'm behind, but next time it will be different; I should be more responsible — and we find those who … are ruminating chronically about their procrastination and why they are not able to overcome it (have what's) called negative automated thought."
Flett uses the same measure to determine depression, anxiety and dejection. Perfectionism can be tied to the difficulty of transitioning to post-secondary education and the pressures students feel when they become a number in a classroom rather than an individual. His recommendation is to find a distraction from the pressures to succeed and to know when good is good enough.
OUSA's report mentions Carleton University's successful transition program as something to strive for. As the only post-secondary institution with public policy that deals with the transition from high school to university, or even the transition from recent graduates or withdrawn students, the administration encourages staff and faculty to get involved and direct students to services that can help them cope with these external pressures.
OUSA's recommendation
The submission to the Ontario government offers numerous recommendations on how to improve the health services provided to students on campus. The most powerful is the insistence on anti-stigma initiatives to encourage students to seek assistance. It also advocates for faculty training and the creation of a safe-space environment in which aboriginal students or those that come from racialized groups, and the LGBTQ community, can receive the attention they need.
In order to do this, OUSA is recommending an increase in government funds allocated to mental health services on campus. Ancillary student fees fund 40 to 90 per cent of operating costs, and the average wait time for a counseling appointment is seven days.
"We are very much aware that this is a generation of students facing a particularly dense set of pressures and we hope we can take a lead role in alleviating these pressures and concerns," said Kinnon.
While the submission itself was meant to inspire discussion, OUSA hopes to start a campaign in the winter in support of early detection, stigma, and an increase in funds and support services on campus.
"And there's such a stigma there. There was no way I could ask about it."
Kate Waddingham, a third-year student at the University of Ottawa, is one of many students to suffer silently from stress and anxiety. With agendas starting to fill up, life can get a bit overwhelming even for the most prepared student. It takes courage to ask for help, but according to Waddingham, it is worth it.
Waddingham decided to take a leap going to U of O health services after a close friend committed suicide. Once at the clinic, she was able to make an appointment with a counsellor for an hour and was walked through the referral process to get a therapist.
In an era where 24 per cent of deaths among youth ages 15 to 24 are caused by suicide, the issue of mental health support on campus is a very serious one.
"Our students recognize that mental health issues are a substantial concern on university campuses," explained Rylan Kinnon, executive director of Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). "Eighteen per cent (of people) ages 15 to 24 report a mental illness or substance abuse problem, and obviously a lot of university students fall in this demographic."
The hope is that our campuses can provide students with more support earlier on, recognizing those students who are having difficulty."
In May, OUSA released a submission to the Ontario government on the status and quality of student health services in the province. The report outlines the success of the Ontario government in providing adequate health care to campuses, but also recommends reform in terms of transparent fees and increased engagement in mental health.
Stigma
The report pinpoints the largest barrier to addressing mental health in post-secondary education is the stigmatization of mental illness.
Gordon Flett, a psychology professor in York University's Faculty of Health and Canada Research Chair in Personality and Health, has studied the effects of stress on the average student. He explained that students believe that if they were to ask for help, their friends, professors and family would think less of them.
"I know students put on the brave front, where they let on that everything is okay and no one really knows what kind of stress they are dealing with," Flett added. "So they need to get the message that there are a lot of other students dealing with the same things."
Kinnon reiterated that society needs to get past the stereotype that mental health is not socially acceptable or that the community won't understand.
"Stigma is an issue across all demographics, not just on university campuses. Because undergraduate students face a variety of pressures that can amplify existing mental health or contribute to the development of them, we really think it is crucial on campuses that students who are suffering believe that they can discuss it and can find support."
One of OUSA's solutions is that university staff receives professional training to deal with students who may be suffering from chronic depression or anxiety. McMaster University and Lakehead University are highlighted as examples of how staff can be informed about symptoms, emergency procedures and available services on campus or in the city through the Internet.
"I think most professors, whether they admit it or not ... if they were made to go to training on certain topics (regarding mental health), they would actually be grateful in the long run," said Flett.
A new journey
For many students, leaving high school and moving into residence in a new city with new responsibilities can be a trigger for mental illness. Approximately 40 per cent of students have visited support services by their fourth-year at university.
Flett's most recent research on perfectionism and procrastination sketched an accurate view of how that drive to do well in school could negatively impact health.
"Students indicated how often they have had thoughts like this over the past week — why didn't I start earlier; I'm behind, but next time it will be different; I should be more responsible — and we find those who … are ruminating chronically about their procrastination and why they are not able to overcome it (have what's) called negative automated thought."
Flett uses the same measure to determine depression, anxiety and dejection. Perfectionism can be tied to the difficulty of transitioning to post-secondary education and the pressures students feel when they become a number in a classroom rather than an individual. His recommendation is to find a distraction from the pressures to succeed and to know when good is good enough.
OUSA's report mentions Carleton University's successful transition program as something to strive for. As the only post-secondary institution with public policy that deals with the transition from high school to university, or even the transition from recent graduates or withdrawn students, the administration encourages staff and faculty to get involved and direct students to services that can help them cope with these external pressures.
OUSA's recommendation
The submission to the Ontario government offers numerous recommendations on how to improve the health services provided to students on campus. The most powerful is the insistence on anti-stigma initiatives to encourage students to seek assistance. It also advocates for faculty training and the creation of a safe-space environment in which aboriginal students or those that come from racialized groups, and the LGBTQ community, can receive the attention they need.
In order to do this, OUSA is recommending an increase in government funds allocated to mental health services on campus. Ancillary student fees fund 40 to 90 per cent of operating costs, and the average wait time for a counseling appointment is seven days.
"We are very much aware that this is a generation of students facing a particularly dense set of pressures and we hope we can take a lead role in alleviating these pressures and concerns," said Kinnon.
While the submission itself was meant to inspire discussion, OUSA hopes to start a campaign in the winter in support of early detection, stigma, and an increase in funds and support services on campus.
