Mental illness or mental distress; stigma and concealment in University students - a discussion paper

This discussion paper addresses the issue of mental distress, sometimes mis- perceived or misinterpreted as mental illness. The<br/>focus is on positive psychology. Reflecting in part on a UK-based study with younger University students studying to health<br/>related degrees, nursing, midwifery and medicine (N = 12), many of the students were apparently suffering dis-stress with<br/>disordered eating at least in part being used as a coping mechanism. However notwithstanding that they were at the end of<br/>their first year studies in health, a significant number of the students interpreted their approach to eating as a mental illness.<br/>Consequently, many within the study felt stigmatised and were reluctant to acknowledge certainly to the University health care<br/>authorities that there was an issue; perceiving both academic and career/professional consequences of mental health labelling. The<br/>paper approaches the issue of mental health from a health promoting perspective, reflecting against the theory of salutogenesis<br/>and its focus within the three dimensions of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness as an approach to building<br/>resilience and managing stressors to better facilitate a sense of coherence. Complex manifestations of distress and poor coping<br/>mechanisms can in some cases be misinterpreted or miss perceived as mental illness. Promoting mental health and reducing the<br/>stigma of mental illness or the misperception of mental distress as mental illness, would need to be addressed in order to more<br/>effectively outreach certainly to younger University students who might be at risk. The focus should be on how better to promote<br/>their sense of coherence.