Are Stigmas Preventing Proper Attention to Student Mental Health?

While mental well-being among university students has become a critical issue, it is often disregarded as an excuse for inadequate academic work or over-dramatized as a social phenomenon.

As educational institutions in Kenya continue dealing with cases of depression, anxiety, and even suicide, the concern remains whether it is a real issue or simply another case of societal and institutional blaming.

There has been a shocking increase in cases of university students with mental health issues in the modern era. The reasons behind this include study pressure and finance, social pressure, and drug abuse.

Experts add that it is all too easy to ignore these problems. Still, it could be damaging in the long run if it prevents students from seeking proper help due to stigma or lack of information about services available.

Even with increased understanding and knowledge, some lecturers and administrators still think that mental health has been used as a sissy excuse for students that fail to submit their assignments on time or perform satisfactorily in examinations, and educators have started to doubt the realness of some statements. Mental health, these educators argue, is sometimes used as an alibi for lazy scholars.

However, mental health experts warn against stigmatization of the challenges faced by the students without proper assessment.

Despite the increased cases, university counselling services for mental health remain inadequate. Institutions lack enough counsellors, and stigma keeps the students from seeking assistance. There exist, nonetheless, initiatives by some learning institutions to address the crisis.

There is, for example, the establishment by Strathmore University of mental health awareness programs and Kenyatta University, which has enhanced counselling services to accommodate more students. Likewise, Kabarak University and Mount Kenya University, amongst others, provide counselling services for free in support of their staff and students in their studies and careers.

However, much is left to be done, especially in public institutions with limited resources.

Social media has played a role in framing the mental health discourse among Gen Z. Anxiety, depression, and self-care trends now trend through social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

While this has reduced stigma, experts caution that self-diagnosis and the dissemination of disinformation can be dangerous. Mental health professionals warn that while social media has made it more acceptable to speak about mental health, it has also contributed to the dissemination of inaccurate information and self-diagnosis.

However, professional mental health support should be preferred over relying solely on social media narratives for self-diagnosis.

To address the university student mental health crisis, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. Institutions must fund more counselling, integrate mental health training in the curriculum, and offer safe places to share issues.

Students must also take charge of their health by seeking help and adopting healthier coping mechanisms.

Besides, government policies should provide more funding for mental health in colleges so that all colleges would have a full-time mental health practitioner for the students.

Employers should also be made aware of the essence of mental health and work-life balance to prevent young professionals from being burned out. Lastly, mental health should neither be minimized nor used as an excuse—it should be taken as a serious student issue that warrants actual concern and response.