Fears of stigma or prejudice prevent many Australian students from reporting their mental illness - they want to be treated like any other student, according to a new National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) study.
In stark contrast, the study shows that teachers believe students should disclose their mental illness to receive the right support.
The NCVER report, Unfinished business: student perspectives on disclosure of mental illness and success in VET, by Annie Venville and Annette Street, looks at the reasons students disclose or withhold their mental illness and what contributes to successful course completion.
“Students with a mental illness told us they want to blend in, be seen as capable, self-reliant and held accountable for their success and failure as a student,” said co-author, Ms Venville.
“They don’t want to be perceived differently, labelled as the ‘depressed guy’ or have allowances made for their condition. They want to achieve on their own terms.
“On the other hand, most teaching staff expect disclosure. They see students who are reluctant to disclose their condition or seek support as unwilling to take responsibility for their academic performance and success.”
“These findings offer the opportunity to hear students’ perspectives and look at strategies to improve retention and completion rates for students with a mental illness,” said Francesca Beddie, NCVER General Manager, Research.
One of the strategies suggested in the report is to clearly separate data that is collected to identify and resource student support from data used for reporting purposes.
The report also argues that instead of relying on student disclosure, training organisations should make support readily available to all students, regardless of a disclosed mental illness.
The full report is available online at: www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2465.html
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