Online Reporter
Kenneth Chiwara
Youth Interactive Correspondent
MENTAL health stigma is keeping university students from seeking help, with experts warning that most students only come forward during a crisis.
It is also shaping how students perform academically, build friendships, and make decisions about their own future, often silently, and until symptoms become unmanageable.
Students say anxiety, depression, and stress are common but rarely discussed openly on campus.
They describe a culture where suffering is treated as a private failure rather than a health issue that can be managed early.
“I sit in lectures with hundreds of people, but I feel completely alone,” said Tanatswa, a third-year student.
Nyasha Mbeve, a student leader, said disclosing distress often draws harsh judgment.
“If you say you are stressed or depressed, they say you are weak or you are insane. They say keep quiet,” said Nyasha.
Students pointed to cultural beliefs as a barrier.
“In my family, if you say you are depressed, they will tell you to pray harder because it is a spiritual attack.
“That makes it difficult to express what you are going through,” said Melody, a final-year engineering student.
A university counsellor, who requested anonymity, said reliance on spirituality without professional counselling delays treatment.
“We see many students only when their condition has worsened.
“The stigma delays intervention, and by the time they come, they are in a real crisis.”
Tinevimbo, a student, said peer support could improve disclosure.
“If I had someone my age to talk to, I think I would have opened up much earlier,” she said.
The counsellor also noted that delayed support can make symptoms harder to manage and can increase the risk of academic interruption and family conflict when students finally seek help.
Students and staff reported links between untreated mental health issues and falling grades, social withdrawal, suicidal ideation, and substance use.
They also said some students avoid attendance, stop participating in group work, and struggle to concentrate, effects that can spiral into isolation and financial or disciplinary problems.
Students said this type of support works best when peers are trained to listen, refer appropriately, and reduce the fear of being judged.
They argue that campuses need stronger referral pathways, accessible counselling services, and clear anti-stigma messages that challenge harmful assumptions about weakness or “insanity.”
Preliminary research indicates that male students are at higher risk than females, though stigma affects both.
The findings also suggest that stigma doesn’t only stop students from speaking it can also discourage them from seeking professional services even when those services exist.
