Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Stigma and help seeking for mental health among college students
Daniel Eisenberg1, Marilyn F Downs, Ezra Golberstein
1Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. daneis@umich.edu
Abstract:
Mental illness stigma has been identified by national policy makers as an important barrier to help seeking for mental health. Using a random sample of 5,555 students from a diverse set of 13 universities, we conducted one of the first empirical studies of the association of help-seeking behavior with both perceived public stigma and people's own stigmatizing attitudes (personal stigma). There were three main findings: (a) Perceived public stigma was considerably higher than personal stigma; (b) personal stigma was higher among students with any of the following characteristics: male, younger, Asian, international, more religious, or from a poor family; and (c) personal stigma was significantly and negatively associated with measures of help seeking (perceived need and use of psychotropic medication, therapy, and nonclinical sources of support), whereas perceived stigma was not significantly associated with help seeking. These findings can help inform efforts to reduce the role of stigma as a barrier to help seeking.
Related Concept Videos
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Self-Help Support Groups
Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness
One of the primary strengths of self-help...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques V
Psychological Responses to Stress
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification