We asked Georgetown students why no one talks about mental health

‘Students think this stress culture is normal’

Georgetown definitely has a stress culture, and many people associate “mental health” with conditions like schizophrenia or depression, but it encompasses a lot more than that.

Mental health is characterized by our overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being and carries a tremendous impact on how we feel and act on a daily basis.

While the University offers resources like the Counseling and Psychiatric Service (CAPS), mental health is still a taboo topic on campus.

We asked students around campus why they think Georgetown students don’t talk about mental health:

Avery Moje (left), 18, Justice and Peace Studies

“Georgetown students do not talk about mental health because of the negative stigma that mental health carries and the potential for the discussion of mental health to destroy the cultivated images of success and perfection that students carry.”

Kory Stuer, English and Women’s and Gender Studies

“Simply put, I think it’s because we don’t know how.  Mental health is such a stigmatized topic that even de-stigmatization efforts seem to mostly take the form of tolerance, in a kind of ‘oh, that’s okay’ attitude, and not really anything approaching acceptance.  To talk about mental health, we need to speak from a place of compassion that makes it so that folks can feel really accepted, and not just tolerated.”

Shannon Burke, 19, American Studies

“The stigma surrounding mental health is particularly intense at Georgetown because students think this stress culture is normal. When someone gets overwhelmed by the pressures of clubs, school, and general life, they feel like they’re the only one who can’t handle the stress, and they don’t talk about it or get help.

“Since I realized how damaging this lifestyle is to my physical and mental health, I’ve quit some clubs, taken leaves of absence in others, actually slept, had real conversations with my family, and I have generally been happier and more present. My advice to anyone struggling with this is to take time off from some commitments and reevaluate why you’re doing the things you’re doing, and if you aren’t passionate, know that it actually is completely normal to just be a student. Quitting isn’t always a bad thing.”

Luke Powers, 20, Biology of Global Health

“I find that the put together, well-rounded, jack-of-all-trades student body that Georgetown loves to advertise overshadows the silent majority of people who find the academic, social, and health balancing act daunting. When we feel as though everyone around us always has it together, it makes it difficult to speak up and say ‘I’m struggling,’ or ‘I’m not feeling like myself.'”

“We sacrifice a discussion of mental health for our pride and desire to maintain a facade that allows us to feel as though we fit the model Georgetown student criteria. Unfortunately, the school doesn’t try hard enough to discourage overextension of one’s self, nor does it help us realize that struggling is normal and more widespread than it seems.”

Vinitha Raj, 19, IPEC

“I think that because there’s this pressure to seem like everyone has their life together it can be hard to admit that you’re struggling on the inside. There’s a stigma of mental illness being associated with weakness or something that you made up, but in reality, it can be a disease that’s out of your control, so you shouldn’t be afraid to look to others for support.”

 

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