Spring Break
Mental health stigma persists on campus
Issue date: 4/17/08
Amid national discussion of the tragic outcome of mental disorders left untreated, university communities have become increasingly concerned with providing timely and comprehensive assistance to students dealing with mental difficulties.
Despite last year's shootings at Virginia Tech showing the tragic consequences of untreated mental health problems, Hopkins officials and students alike find students are still reluctant to discuss mental health.
"College students today are more vulnerable than they were 10 years ago," Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell said.
A number of groups within the Hopkins community continue to provide students with services intended to help maintain their mental health. Despite the availability of these services, certain social and cultural barriers may prevent some students from using them.
"It's not a sexy issue," said Juliana Kerrest, president of the Hopkins chapter of Active Minds, a student group devoted to mental health awareness, education and advocacy.
After four years of listening to his fellow students, Aaron Lazorwitz, director of A Place to Talk (APTT), observed that the mental health situation here on campus is "plagued by serious stigmas in regards to seeking help for mental health issues."
Lazorwitz feels that students need to be continually educated on the importance of mental health to remove the stigmas surrounding the act of seeking help for mental stresses or difficulties.
If not, "many students will continue to suffer from mental health problems when there are so many resources here to help them," he said.
Director of the Hopkins Counseling Center Michael Mond considers the stigma a cultural issue. Some people, he explained, are either embarrassed or ashamed of admitting that they are having difficulty because they are concerned that something might be wrong with them.
These attitudes pose a problem to the mental health of students dealing with mental difficulties. Clare King, a psychologist at the Counseling Center, explained that "many students don't seek help until they are in crisis, feeling they should be able to work things out on their own."
Despite last year's shootings at Virginia Tech showing the tragic consequences of untreated mental health problems, Hopkins officials and students alike find students are still reluctant to discuss mental health.
"College students today are more vulnerable than they were 10 years ago," Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell said.
A number of groups within the Hopkins community continue to provide students with services intended to help maintain their mental health. Despite the availability of these services, certain social and cultural barriers may prevent some students from using them.
"It's not a sexy issue," said Juliana Kerrest, president of the Hopkins chapter of Active Minds, a student group devoted to mental health awareness, education and advocacy.
After four years of listening to his fellow students, Aaron Lazorwitz, director of A Place to Talk (APTT), observed that the mental health situation here on campus is "plagued by serious stigmas in regards to seeking help for mental health issues."
Lazorwitz feels that students need to be continually educated on the importance of mental health to remove the stigmas surrounding the act of seeking help for mental stresses or difficulties.
If not, "many students will continue to suffer from mental health problems when there are so many resources here to help them," he said.
Director of the Hopkins Counseling Center Michael Mond considers the stigma a cultural issue. Some people, he explained, are either embarrassed or ashamed of admitting that they are having difficulty because they are concerned that something might be wrong with them.
These attitudes pose a problem to the mental health of students dealing with mental difficulties. Clare King, a psychologist at the Counseling Center, explained that "many students don't seek help until they are in crisis, feeling they should be able to work things out on their own."
Be the first to comment on this story