This discussion post will argue that students with mental health issues are being marginalized on USF campus. The case includes me which is why the topic is personal. I have been diagnosed severe depression and anxiety, which appears in my medical records that campus dormitory receives. The dormitory application has not been approved and no actions are being taken to support student with mental health problems. It is assumed that stigma that follows the issue is not enabling society think charitably, consequently creating environment where this group of people is increasingly discriminated.
Since I belong to the marginal group of the case under discussion, my position is to be part of people with mental health problems. Unfortunately, the university is not taking any action to help students like me, which means that the problem is not being solved at the moment. Therefore, I would like to suggest several strategies that will help mitigate this problem. Primarily, the university could place visual materials in the corridors and classrooms about the presence of students with special needs and means of support in case they need help. Moreover, USF can provide a curriculum related to mental health, because many students tend to hide their condition. Such classes could help peers recognize the importance of studying, supporting, and communicating with mentally challenged peers.
The other strategy I learned in high school where the teachers held extra time and testing, which led to improvements of mental and physical condition. This allowed students like me join society more easily and handle discrimination of peers. The same strategy of small groups is suggested to USF Tampa campus to reduce marginalization of students with mental health problems. The research conducted by Lien et al. (2019) supports the idea that such practices also reduce the stigma following mental health illnesses and social distancing from people with those illnesses.
Reference
Lien et al., (2019). Changes in attitudes toward mental illness in healthcare professionals and students. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(23), 4655.