Takeno, Todd

Title:
The Rhetoric of Depression and Mental Health Stigmas on College Students

Abstract:
As a psychology major, I see a lack of good mental health care systems in The United States and at universities where many young people live with academic pressures and deadlines that can exacerbate their mental health. My research shows that college students are the most vulnerable age group to believe and enforce mental health stigmas, as well as being the ones most likely to hide mental illness. Depression is the most common mental illness, and there is not a lot of public concern for people with depression. My research explores why depression is not talked about even though more people are diagnosed with depression than physical diseases such as diabetes or cancer.
I use a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative through a literature review, as well as surveys on college students' thoughts on mental health stigmas. I also use videos to challenge stigmas that college students hold onto.
My current results show college students often believe that mental health stigmas are due to their perceived self-image. Another reason is that a lot of colleges and universities may not have a great mental health care system on or off-campus, and college students may not have the proper education or resources to get the help that they need. I will present my findings and provide a brief list of conversation topics for students to better engage on this topic back at their home institutions.

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