MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 1

The Mental Health Stigma within Undergraduates at UC Davis

Ann-Nhu Nguyen

University of California, Davis

MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 2

Abstract

Individuals with mental illness frequently encounter stigma: a sign of disgrace and belief that

lead people to avoid and reject those they perceive as being different (Byrne, 2000; Corrigan &

Penn, 1999)​. This study explores whether or not UC Davis students who suffer from a mental

illness experience the stigma that surrounds individuals with mental health problems. A

qualitative study was used to conduct individual interviews to discover whether this stigma holds

true for undergraduate students in the UC Davis community. I interviewed three students (two

with a mental illness and one without). The results indicate that UC Davis students with a mental

illness do face the stigma in which they share their coping strategies on how to overcome the

stigma.

Keywords​: mental illness, stigma, college students, discrimination, coping strategies

Introduction

According to the World Health Association (WHO), one in four people in the world will

be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million

individuals currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading

causes of ill-health and disability worldwide (2013). These types of mental illnesses include

clinical depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, OCD, and etc.

Within most societies, attitudes that view symptoms of mental disorders as threatening

and intolerable still occur today. Many people believe that individuals with mental illness are

unpredictable, dangerous, and somehow just “different”. This belief is commonly known as a
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 3

public stigma which is the negative stereotype and prejudice about mental illness held

collectively by people in a society or community (Corrigan, 2004). Another stigma known as

self-stigma o​ ccurs when an individual identifies themself with the stigmatized group (people

with mental illness, in this context) and applies corresponding stereotypes and prejudices to the

self (Eisenberg, Downs, Golberstein, & Zivin, 2009). With self-stigma, people suffer because

they internalize the public’s negative perceptions of mental health. This contributes to the

complexity of combating stigma around mental illnesses.

The negative effects of stigma among individuals with mental illness include reduced

self–esteem and health care utilization, the perception of public devaluation, and discrimination

(Corrigan, 2004; Corrigan & Penn, 1999; Corrigan, Watson, & Barr, 2006; Rüsch et al., 2005).

Learning to live with mental health problems are made more distressing when someone

experiences the discrimination caused by stigma.

Mental illness has a long history of being stigmatized in societies across the world. ​I will

be addressing how stigmas pertaining to mental illness are developed through the portrayal of the

media. In addition, I discuss the effects of stigma on individuals who suffer from a mental

illness. From previous research conducted on the stigma of mental health, I will use that

information to compare with the responses I received from the participants in my study. Finally,

I present the results and analyze specific themes I found from my study.

How Stigma Is Developed Through the Media

Mass media is the most common sources of public information about mental illnesses.

The depictions of mental illness occur across several media platforms, including film (6%),
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 4

television (10-20% of prime-time programs), and popular magazines (Wahl, 1992). The media is

believed to play a crucial role in contributing to the mental illness stigma from the images they

portray of characters with mental illness as well as the misinformation communicated, inaccurate

use of psychiatric terms, and unfavorable stereotypes of people with mental illness (Wahl, 1995).

The images of psychiatric disorder that are presented to the public shape their attitudes and

influence their behavior. When those images are unfavorable and inaccurate, they contribute to

the stigma and discrimination that represent barriers to treatment and recovery.

Research reveals a fairly consistent image of mental illness in the media. Depictions of

violence and dangerousness were associated with mental illness. For example, one in four

mentally ill characters kill someone and half are portrayed as hurting others, making the mentally

ill the group most likely to be involved in violence (Stuart, 2006)​. ​People with mental illnesses

were also portrayed as different, unpredictable, unsuccessful, socially unconnected, and unlikely

to recover (Gerbner, 1993; Signorielli, 1989; Wahl et al., 2002; Wilson et al., 1999). In addition,

individuals with mental illness were depicted as being inadequate and unlikeable (Signorielli,

1989) and as lacking social identity (Wahl and Roth 1982). This periodic depiction can lead to

learning through media exposure that people with mental illness are dangerous, are to be feared,

and should be avoided (Stout, Villegas, & Jennings, 2004).

Stigmatizing portrayals of mental illness are also prevalent in children’s media​. ​Wilson et

al. (2000) sampled a full week of television on two New Zealand television channels by

examining approximately 58 hours of children’s shows (128 programs). They looked at both the

attributes of the characters designated as having mental illnesses and the vocabulary used to refer

to those characters. The most common terms for mental illness were ‘crazy’, ‘mad’, and ‘losing
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 5

your mind’ (Wilson et al., 2000). Similarly, disrespectful slang terms like ‘nuts’, ‘bananas’,

‘twisted’, ‘deranged’, ‘wacko’, and ‘looney’ were also noted, as were stereotypic gestures for

mental illness such as twirling motions to the head (Wahl, 2003). In addition, Wahl (1995) noted

a children’s book in which one character, seeing a man on the street behaving strangely, warns

his friends: ‘Crazy people are like dogs. If they see you’re afraid they attack.’ (Rockwell, T.,

1973, p. 20).

The Effects of Stigma

Individuals with mental health problems not only struggle with the symptoms from their

disease but they are also faced with the stereotype that comes with the misconception about

mental illness. As a result, people with mental illness suffer from a diminished quality of life by

getting robbed of good jobs, satisfactory health care, and connections with a diverse group of

people (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). In addition, stigma causes real damage that can undermine

self-confidence and self-worth. ​Living in a culture immersed in stigmatizing images, people with

mental illness may believe these assumptions and suffer reduced self-esteem, self-efficacy, and

confidence in one’s future (Corrigan, 1998; Holmes & River, 1998). Research shows that people

with mental illness often internalize stigmatizing ideas that are widely perceived within society

and believe that they are less valued because of their psychiatric disorder (Link, 1987; Link &

Phelan, 2001).

Stigma makes it harder for individuals with a mental illness to seek help and treatment.

Delaying this can affect the speed of recovery. For example, people may perceive certain

illnesses such as depression as due to having a weak personality. Such stigmatizing views may

impact on help-seeking because sufferers do not wish to show their ‘weaknesses’ to others
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 6

(Barney, Griffiths, Jorm, & Christensen, 2006). Seeking help implies acknowledgment of one’s

own mental health problem and people feel ashamed and embarrassed about having a mental

illness (Corrigan, 2004). These feelings often limit social interactions and a sense of isolation is

created by that person with a mental illness (Twardzicki, 2008). Research has also shown that

exclusion produced by stigma leads to a downward spiral of poverty, family breakdown,

deteriorating health, loss of self-worth, loneliness and a sense of hopelessness (Twardzicki,

2008). Stigma significantly interferes with a person’s life goals and quality of life.

Study Focus and Research Question

The connection between mental health and stigma is apparent. Research on the negative

effects of stigma has been widely conducted. However, such support for stigma surrounding

mental illness has yet to be comprehensively researched and reported. Specifically, we lack

studies that investigate stigma within undergraduates at UC Davis with a mental illness. By

being immersed in a college environment, stress is inevitable and is something that every student

experiences. However, it could potentially hurt people with mental health problems even more.

Therefore, enhancing the stigma that students may already face in their own daily life. There is

not much research done that focuses on students personal experience with stigma and how they

overcome such stigma because not many people are comfortable admitting that they have an

underlying mental illness. As a result, coping strategies from people with mental illness are not

shared for others to utilize. The following research question guided this study:
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 7

1. Do students at UC Davis with a mental illness experience the stigma that surrounds

individuals with mental health problems? If so, how does that affect their lives and how

do they cope with it?

Method

Context

The student population of UC Davis consists of more than 30,000 students. According to

the Mental Health Care Task Force, 64.8% of UC Davis undergraduate students felt

overwhelming anxiety which is a 3.3% increase since 2015. In addition, 49% were so depressed

they could not function, a 5.5% increase since 2015. Lastly, 8.8% intentionally self-harmed, a

2.1% increase since 2015. From looking at the statistics, it is visible that UC Davis students do

have a mental illness but the question is if they face the stigma that comes with it.

Data Collection

To begin to address the questions of whether or not UC Davis students with a mental

illness experience stigma and how the stigma has impacted their lives and how do they cope, I

asked my resident advisor to send out an email blast to my whole building and those interested in

the study would stop by my dorm and write down their contact information to inform me if they

wanted to take part in my research. A couple of days after the email was sent out, three students

came by and expressed their interests. I informed them about what the goal of the research was

and how they were to remain anonymous unless they consented to release out their information.

We set up appointments of when they were available to do the individual interviews. The

interviews took place in the study room provided in my building which allowed a quiet and open

space to talk about such a delicate matter.

MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 8

Participants/Data Analysis

Throughout each interview, I recorded the hour session with the participants on my

phone. After the interview was conducted, I went back to transcribe each word that was uttered

within the hour interval to make sure that I did not leave out any information that may be of great

importance in my study. After transcription, I coded specific themes that appeared, following

grounded theory (Strauss, 1987); the themes included general aspects of student experiences with

stigma, along with comments on coping strategies.

Three students were interviewed for this study. An important disclaimer to note for this

study is that only two students experienced mental illnesses themselves. Out of the three

students, one was female and the other two were male. All three participants are first years at UC

Davis. Each student wanted to remain anonymous so in order to honor their request, I used

pseudonyms for the participants. This section here provides an overview of the student

participants’ backgrounds in relation to mental health and why they chose to participate.

Lily. ​Lily suffers from a mental illness called obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

OCD is a chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring

thoughts (​obsessions​) and behaviors (​compulsions)​ that he or she feels the urge to repeat over

and over. Overall, she claims that it has been a major impediment on her life and held her back

from many opportunities. When she was younger, other kids use to call her names because she

wasn’t like the other kids. She was the subject of gossip in school. The name-calling was never

ending. As she got older, she’s been better at hiding her compulsions which caused people to

slowly stop talking about her. However, her childhood still haunts her to this day. She started to

believe what others were saying about her. She chose to participate in this study because she
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 9

understands that she must not be the only one with this specific illness and wanted to inform

others on how she manages to cope with the stigma surrounding her OCD.

Michael. Michael faces depression. Depression is a serious medical illness that

negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act. He claims that his

depression picks and chooses which days it wants to come out. One day he will wake up fine and

another day he will wake up feeling terrible. The disorder causes him to have anxiety and makes

him feel as if no matter what he does on a daily basis, his life just isn’t important and feels as if

he does not matter. When Michael feels depressed, he becomes very snappy and agitated when

people try to talk and hang out with him. He states that he doesn’t have control over his emotions

which makes his day to day life rough. Michael wanted to share his experience with the stigma

he has encountered throughout his life and how it affects him and wants to provide tips and

suggestions that work for him when he feels down which can potentially help other UC Davis

students who are having a difficult time dealing with stigma.

John. John does not have a mental illness but wanted to share a different perspective and

discuss how he feels about the stigma associated with mental health.

Results & Discussions

The three student interviews revealed valuable perspectives of the mental health stigma

while sharing common beliefs. All three interview participants reported an understanding of

what stigma is and how it relates to mental illness. They all viewed stigma as a thing or person

that is viewed from a negative perspective and looked down upon. There is also a common

theme that all three participants believe stigma is perpetuated by a lack of understanding and

willingness to understand what others are going through. Two of the participants with mental
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 10

illness reported that they do experience the stigma that surrounds individuals with mental health

problems and how that stigma contributed to their diminished quality of life.

The two participants, Lily and Michael commented that stigmas emerged due to their

mental illness. I discovered that both participants have different experiences with the stigma they

encountered in their life. I believe the cause of their distinct experiences are due to social factors

such as family and environmental factors such as where they grew up. In addition, their specific

illness also plays a role because it is a distinction of how they will behave and how the public

perceives their actions. When I asked Lily to share how stigma has impacted her life and how she

copes with it, she said the following:

I feel a sense of hopelessness because I believe that I will never get over my disorder.

There are days where I think my OCD will always define me and I can never escape from

it. In order to cope with the stigma, I openly communicate my feelings to my close

friends and family. They are my community and they support me in the face of my flaws.

Through them, I am able to exude a sense of transparency and alleviate my stress. I also

cope by speaking out against stigma. I take every opportunity to educate people and share

my personal story and struggles at events and on social media. I want to instill courage in

others facing similar challenges and educate the public about mental illness.

When asked the same question, Michael explicitly responded:

A lot of the stigmas come from my own family members. Everyone seems to believe that

I am faking my depression. They believe that I just like to stay in my room isolated from

everyone else. The stigma I face eats away at my self-esteem. It’s like a voice inside my

head that tells me that I’m not good enough and that something is wrong with me. It
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 11

makes me believe that I have broken some unwritten code about what it means to be a

full member of society. The feeling that I’m not good enough causes me to not participate

in hobbies I usually find fun, like volleyball. In order to cope, I have to realize that I am

not my condition, the illness does not define me. I also cope with it by talking to my

friends. I have a lot of really supportive friends who try to lift my spirits up.

Although the other participant, John who does not have a mental illness, is not the main

focus of the study, his different perspective towards the stigma that surrounds mental illness

sheds light on the misconception of mental illness. When I asked John what is one message he

could give the public about mental illness and what advice he has for those with mental illness to

overcome the stigma, he fervently responded the following:

If there was one message I could give, I would tell everyone that people with mental

illness are simple people too. Although they suffer from a certain disorder, they are worth

no more or less than others and I hope that over time, the mentally ill can be seen as

equal. I would also like to add that mental illness is a real thing. People struggle daily to

do everyday things because of these mental illnesses. People need to become more aware

of mental illness as to not start any stigmas that could potentially harm those who are

suffering from mental illness because they have it hard enough already. My advice for

those with a mental illness is to get treatment. Don’t let the fear of being labeled with

mental illness prevent you from seeking help.

MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 12

John makes a great point that people should be more knowledgeable about mental illness

and not make any assumptions based on what they see or hear. He implies that the media is to

blame for the lack of understanding and willingness to understand what others are going through,

as suggested by (Wahl,1995).

The interview responses demonstrate that there is an obvious relationship between stigma

and mental illness. The mass media’s power to impact public perception and the degree to which

people are exposed to media representations makes the mass media one of the most significant

influences in developed societies. For better or worse, the media shapes our ideas and ways in

which we understand those around us. Consequently, all forms of media—including television,

film, magazines, newspapers, and social media—have been roundly criticized for disseminating

negative stereotypes and inaccurate descriptions of those with mental illness (Wahl, 1992). For

those suffering from mental illnesses, the implications of the often negative and inaccurate

portrayals of mental health issues are significant. Two of student participants suggested that

other people viewed them as different and socially unconnected due to their mental illness

(Gerbner, 1993; Signorielli, 1989; Wahl et al., 2002; Wilson et al., 1999). Such reactions among

people are often fostered from the depictions of mental illness presented in the media.

Inaccurate information in the media about mental illness results in misunderstandings that

can have considerable and very real consequences. The two students with a mental illness felt

that the stigma surrounding their mental illness has drastically impacted their life, for the worse.

Lily’s experience with stigma highlighted that she specifically faced self-stigma, the biased and

negative judgment that we impose on ourselves (Eisenberg, Downs, Golberstein, & Zivin, 2009).

However, Michael’s experience revealed that he experienced both the public stigma, the attitudes
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 13

and beliefs of the general public towards persons with mental health challenges (Corrigan, 2004)

and self-stigma.

Lily reported the negative impact that the stigma surrounding her OCD has caused her.

The stigmatizing views she has witnessed surrounding her own illness, causes her to internalize

those negative perceptions. By accepting what others believe, there are times where Lily feels

worthless and hopeless that she will never overcome her illness (Link, 1987; Link & Phelan,

2001). There is a sense of shame and embarrassment she feels because “[she] feels as if [she] [is]

the only who has this illness and everyone else is perfect”(Corrigan, 2004). In order to cope with

the stigmatizing ideas that are widely perceived within society, she finds comfort talking about it

with her friends and family. In addition, she speaks out about the stigma to educate others about

mental illness and to stop people from adding on to the stigma.

Michael discussed how the stigma associated with his depression has negatively affected

his life. The stigma he faces from his family results in his reduced self-esteem and self-worth

(Corrigan, 1998; Holmes & River, 1998)​. These feelings often cause him ​to limit social

interactions and isolate himself from others (Twardzicki, 2008). In order to cope, Michael has to

remind himself that his depression does not define who he is. Another coping strategy that he

utilizes is his friends. He feels that talking to his friends about what he is going through helps

him overcome the stigma.

Conclusion

The results of this study on the mental health stigma indicate that UC Davis students

suffering from mental illness do face the stigma associated with individuals with mental health
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 14

problems. This study provides insight into student’s personal experience facing the stigma and

how they are able to overcome the stigma. Results prove that students are negatively affected by

the stigma. Students with mental health problems consistently identify stigma as a major barrier

to their well-being and quality of life. The portrayal of stigma in the media is how

misconceptions of mental illness emerge within society. Intentional or not, naïve assumptions

and stereotyping can have damaging effects on an individual’s state of being. My study

highlights the importance that stigma still exists and negatively impacts the lives of those who

suffer from a mental illness. Society needs to strive to reduce and eliminate the stigma that so

many with mental illness experience in their day-to-day lives. While stigma continues to exist, it

can be eventually eliminated with greater education and awareness about mental illness. Further

research needs to be done on how we can reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and how

we can stop the mass media from portraying individuals with mental illness in a negative

manner.

As with any study, this project has some experimental limitations, including a sampling

bias. Due to reaching out to only students in my dormitory building, I received responses from

only first years at UC Davis. I realize that getting input from students of one particular year is

not the best representative model for all undergraduates at UC Davis. I should have acquired

students from different years in order to avoid sampling bias. Due to the constriction of time, I

was not able to interview as many people as I would have wanted. I believe getting more

responses would strengthen my study by providing multitudes of perspectives.

Despite my limitations, my study provides valuable insights into the perspectives that

students have regarding the mental health stigma. The results are valuable in combination with
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 15

other empirical studies showing that stigma still exists and negatively impacts those with a

mental illness.
MENTAL ILLNESS STIGMA​ 16

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