Collegiate Stigmas: Attitudes, Beliefs, and Opinions on Mental Illness

Abstract

Historically, individuals diagnosed with a mental illness were often met with disgust and judgement, resulting in institutionalization with potentially atrocious conditions and outcomes. Today, mental healthcare has improved significantly. Still, discrimination toward individuals with mental illness persists. This study examines college students' attitudes, beliefs, and opinions toward mental illness. Using a mixed methods approach (survey N = 882; focus group N = 9), this study offers a broad, well-versed perspective on these ideas. The survey focused on gathering overall attitudes and beliefs on mental illness using six mental illnesses; whereas the focus groups conversed about three common stigmas within mental illness. This study offers an important perspective that has not received the attention needed to understand where the next generation is heading in terms of destigmatizing mental illness.