Genesis Elijah the young black British man speaking in this video, originally posted on the Bipolar UK site, explains how the stereotype threat (Spencer, et al, 2016))1 he experiences as a black man – being seen as someone frightening and dangerous to others – interacts negatively with his mental health and significantly hampers his ability to reach out for support. Talking openly he notes the psychological strain this places on himself, expressed as a need to “mask” or “tone himself down”, both in is appearance and behavior, and to hopefully obviate this threat and make those around him feel more comfortable .
The intersection between Genesis’s identity as a black man and someone with bipolar disorder is fundamentally mediated by this racially manifested form of stereotype threat, creating for him an internalised state of self-stigma (Watson, et al, 2007)2; a mind-set that lowers self-esteem and resilience (Angermeyer and Matschinger 2009). Rather than accepting his mental health condition he seeks to hide its existence behind the facade he has already created for others, and in doing so increases the stressors that might initiate hypomanic, manic, mixed or depressive episode. Genesis’s heartfelt plea, which he counterpoints against the startling statistics relating to young black men’s mental health, is how hard it has been for him to disclose his condition, to talk openly and get help. His point being that young black man with serious mental health conditions are likely to be invisible to you and I , and more likely as a result to spiral into deeper crisis.
This spectral status carries over into the higher education context, and is reflected in the ineffectiveness of data collected for HESA returns and monitored by universities for regulatory and statistical assurance measures. UAL’s figures are a case in point, reducing disability down to a single category – distinctions between access, learning and mental health needs are noticeable by their absence. Secondly, the telling phrase “disclosed disability” only goes further to highlight how many individuals are absent from this discourse. To further nuance the case, when is disclosure made, and can disclosure be added to statistical returns midway through, or even retrospectively to study. There is a vacuum in these numbers where someone like Genesis should be heard but isn’t.
My own research has looked at the development of mental health literacy policy for students with bipolar in UK HEIs. Part of which included a nationwide survey (carried out with Bipolar UK) of bipolar students’ experiences at university3. It showed many were not diagnosed whilst at university, and that the pressure of university could initiate first onset conditions, and further bipolar students were often seen as disruptive and negative.
My work informs a belief and an ethical challenge we all face, that when it comes to complex intersectional cases, where we may be teaching young black men struggling to disclose mental health conditions, that we fight against stereotyping threat4. Just because a disability disclosure, hasn’t, can’t or won’t be made by the individual, doesn’t mean we should ignore its traces in our/their actions. As teachers we need to improve our mental health literacy and find ways to fill in the gaps in our knowledge – noticing cases made more challenging by interacting aspects of identity – to be able to open safe spaces where disclosure can happen. To help those who are currently silent… but that’s a topic for another post.
Footnotes
- “Stereotype threat describes the situation in which there is a negative stereotype about a persons’ group, and he or she is concerned about being judged or treated negatively on the basis of this stereotype.” (Spencer and Davis, p.46, 2016) ↩︎
- “… persons with mental illness may internalize mental illness stigma and experience diminished self-esteem and self-efficacy. We refer to this process as self-stigma. (Watson, et al, 2007) ↩︎
- Over the last 5 years (beginning in 2021) only 27% of students with bipolar were diagnosed and known to the system. ↩︎
- In the HE case, stereotype threat is less likely to be about fear as it is in Genesis’ description of urban London life, and more likely as shown in Spencer, et al’s (2016) case to be situated in prejudice around academic ability. ↩︎
References
Amy C. Watson, Patrick Corrigan, Jonathon E. Larson, Molly Sells, (2007) ‘Self-Stigma in People With Mental Illness’, Schizophrenia Bulletin, Volume 33, Issue 6, Pp1312–1318
Angermeyer, M.C., Matschinger, H., Corrigan, P.W., Calabrese, J.D., Penn, D.L., Griffiths, K.M., Christensen, H. and Jorm, A.F. (2009) Stigma and help-seeking. Clinical Psychology, 21, pp.400-413.
Spencer, S.J., Logel, C. and Davies (2016) ‘Stereotype Threat’, Annual Review of Psychology, (Volume 67), pp. 415-437. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-073115-103235.
Smith, D. (2021) Developing a mental health literacy programme for the support of UK undergraduate students with bipolar disorder, MA Thesis, UCL
Self disclosure
This blog is written in part as a response to my own work on furthering mental health literacy in the higher education sector, and personally as someone who survived higher education – some-how – before receiving a diagnosis for my own bipolar condition much later in life.
It was lovely to listen to Genesis share his story – thanks for sharing.
Though not being surprised to read of the way Genesis’s intersectional identity impacts (negatively) on his mental health, stereotype threat and self stigma were not terminology that I was aware of to describe the impact and depth of difficulty that presents itself in these contexts, so thank you for expanding my knowledge in this regard.
I agree that within the academic context creating space for students to feel able to open up about struggles they are facing in this regard is important, it often seems to be a real challenge. I wonder how we can help to facilitate these spaces, especially when sometimes the broader institutional change can be a bit slow
I agree that creating a supportive environment where students feel comfortable opening up about their struggles is crucial. At LCF, the “Student Learning and Engagement Pilot” program seems to be making strides in this area. This initiative involves an Engagement Coordinator working closely with tutors and students to implement interventions and provide pastoral care. Regular weekly calls and in-person meetings between the coordinator and students help in identifying and addressing issues early on.
Many students facing poor mental health find it easier to open up to the Engagement Coordinator. This can lead to timely support and referrals to mental health professionals. The consistent weekly meetings provide a comforting and supportive environment, which is essential for students as they navigate their academic journey and work on improving their well-being.
By sharing feedback with the year tutor, the program ensures that there is a comprehensive understanding of each student’s needs, which allows for more personalized and effective support. This collaborative approach helps bridge the gap between students’ needs and the available resources, making the support system more accessible and responsive.
Your research into mental health literacy policy is really informative, and I would love to hear more about your findings! I definitely agree we all share responsibility for improving our literacy in these areas. Your blog post very importantly recognises that the choice to disclose disability is also reliant on multiple intersectional identity factors, specifically “stereotype threat”. The reduction of ‘declared disability’ within UAL to a single category hinders our abilities to make any meaningful sense on what specific support we need to offer our students.
You clearly explain that diagnoses for bi-polar can happen at numerous points in a student’s life, including post graduation. Removing barriers to support, or breaking down stigma surrounding mental health issues is a much broader project – these are things we should consider in supporting our colleagues and wider communities too. I am reminded of a quote by artist and activist Emily Barker that ‘being able-bodied is a temporary state’ (https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/artist-and-activist-emily-barker-on-accessibility/)
It was very insightful to listen to Genesis share his story—thank you for sharing the video. While it wasn’t surprising to learn how Genesis’s intersectional identity negatively impacts his mental health, I found it particularly interesting to learn about the terms “stereotype threat” and “self-stigma” to describe his challenges. Your footnotes were very informative.
I echo Annie’s comments about our shared responsibility to enhance our knowledge in mental health. However, I also believe there are services available that support students needing mental health assistance. As tutors, our role is crucial in removing the stigma surrounding mental health, helping students overcome barriers to seeking and receiving help. Our attitudes and approaches play a critical role in encouraging students to disclose their mental health conditions.
In my experience, the first sign of mental health struggles in students is often a sudden drop in engagement and attendance. Recently, I have collaborated with a new pilot program at LCF called the “Student Learning and Engagement Pilot.” In this program, an Engagement Coordinator works alongside tutors and students to deliver interventions and gather feedback. These interventions focus on providing pastoral care and supporting students’ well-being through regular weekly calls and in-person meetings between the coordinator and students, with feedback shared with the year tutor.
We found that many cases were due to poor mental health, with some students on the waiting list to see mental health coaches, while others felt uncomfortable disclosing their struggles and faced barriers to seeking help.
It was intriguing to hear Genesis mention that support for young black men should be tailored to fit their cultural identity. He highlighted that approaches to mental health, bipolar disorder, and interactions with young black men need to be more specific and culturally aware.
How do you think this could be achieved?
Perhaps involve employing therapists who share or deeply understand their cultural background, using culturally relevant language, and considering cultural stigma surrounding mental health.