VIEWPOINT: Rethink Mental Health Education

April 26, 2026 - 02:39

College students’ mental health has worsened in recent years, with higher numbers of students reporting symptoms of emotional distress and seeking mental health services. Georgetown University has not escaped these national trends, and faculty are eager to respond. While mental health awareness is important, recent research advises caution — some ways of introducing such awareness may actually do more harm than good.

A growing body of evidence suggests that certain mental health education programs, particularly those that encourage students to label normal emotional fluctuations as disorders, can increase anxiety and self-stigma. When students are taught to constantly monitor their thoughts for signs of pathology, they may misinterpret ordinary stress as a clinical condition. This hypervigilance can paradoxically worsen well-being by making students feel fragile or broken.

Instead of blanket awareness campaigns, experts recommend teaching students practical coping skills, resilience-building strategies, and the difference between transient distress and diagnosable illness. Programs should emphasize that seeking help is a sign of strength, but also normalize the experience of temporary sadness or anxiety without pathologizing it.

Georgetown and other universities must strike a careful balance: destigmatizing mental health care without inadvertently encouraging students to adopt a sick role. The goal should be to equip students with tools to navigate life’s challenges, not to convince them that they are perpetually at risk. A more nuanced approach to mental health education could foster genuine resilience rather than performative awareness.