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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

How Can A Student with A Mental Illness Succeed at a University?

A Report on the Resources a Student with a Psychiatric Disability Can Utilize to Graduate
Cover Letter
Student Success Center
420 Redondo East Building 2, Albuquerque, NM, 87106
505-277-2404
collectiveimpact@unm.edu
February 11, 2016
Dear Student Success Center,
I am writing this report to identify why many students with a mental illness dropout. My purpose
is to raise awareness to the stigma a student with a mental illness faces and to find ways to
reduce any fear. Moreover, I would like to highlight specific resources a student at the University
of New Mexico can use to graduate successfully.
For this report, I will conduct two interviews that will allow my participants to answer
anonymously if they know of more than three resources available for mental health. My
questionnaire will consist of 10 questions and will cover a variety of topics related to mental
health including scholarships, counseling, and special accommodations. My results will display
the answers to my interview questions.
I appreciate your consideration,
Carissa Arellano
420 Redondo East Building 2
Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87106
Introduction
The disease of the mind is no different than to the disease of the body. Yet, there is an undeniable
stigma that surrounds those who suffer from mental illness. That stigma intensifies for those who
want a career or are working towards one. College age is approximately the time mental illnesses
present themselves, often striking their victims with such magnitude that their education suffers.
Mental illness is an uncomfortable topic because it is not widely understood. Individuals who fall
victim to their own mind do not speak up about their illness, nor do they understand it
themselves.

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

The goal of this report is to understand why mentally ill students dont receive the resources they
need to graduate. More than half of college dropouts cite mental health reasons, therefore, it is
important to understand the underlying causes.
Methods
The participants I interviewed are close friends of mine. Both participants go to the University of
New Mexico. However, I chose to interview one friend that has not been diagnosed as mentally
ill and one friend that has been diagnosed to distinguish the experience they have had at UNM. It
would make quite a difference to understand resources meant for students with psychiatric
disturbances. The non-mentally ill participant served as my control group, while the mentally ill
participant served as my experimental group. My purpose for establishing which group the
participant belonged to was to understand if mentally ill students knew of services provided for
them at a university.
To gain a better understanding of the implications of being a student with a mental illness, I
conducted my secondary research with the notion of viewing two sidesthe professionals, and
the students. Three of my peer-reviewed resources acknowledge what can be done for students
with mental health issues. One of my peer-reviewed resources acknowledges what it means to be
a student with a mental health concern. The resources I used that were not peer-reviewed simply
provide information of the resources that UNM offers.
According to Kattsiyannis, after entering postsecondary education, students with disabilities
have a lower rate of remaining in college and graduating with a degree. There are several reasons
why students with a mental health disability do not graduate college. Among the many reasons,
New Mexico in particular faces a greater ethical dilemma in treating psychiatric patients as
opposed to a metropolitan area such as New York. New Mexico is a rural area and
inconsistencies in responding to ethical problems by caregivers from different disciplines may
trigger new dilemmas (Roberts, Battaglia and Epstein). Living in a rural area can also entail that
acquiring medication is fairly difficult due to economics. Therefore, students at the University of
New Mexico may not be able to access medication or adequate therapy. Thus, when a student
with a psychiatric illness does not have the proper tools to cope with their illness, they do not
have the proper tools to graduate. Regardless, negative stigma of mental illness still lingers and
renders students without sufficient self-advocacy skills. Moreover, [students lack] knowledge of
the post-secondary disability services that are available (Kattsiyannis, Zhang and Landmark).
Disability support services are offered at most (if not all) colleges, and the services are vital to
the mentally ill students success in postsecondary education. Even if a student has access to
medication and therapy, there are still social obstacles that prevent them from utilizing resources
that will help them graduate.
Social obstacles indirectly cause a student to have a lower success rate in postsecondary
education. Most students with a psychiatric disorder report deep feelings of shame (in regards to
their illness) and concerns about breaches in confidentiality. Moreover, it has been noted that

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

faculty are not always willing to provide accommodations to students with psychiatric
disabilities despite documentation from the disability support services. According to
Kattsiyannis, some faculty members do not provide accommodations mainly due to a lack of
understanding of the implications of a psychiatric disability. Some faculty members insist that
accommodations are unnecessary for students with something simple such as depression.
However, if the student has provided documentation and has establishment with the disability
support services, this student has proven that they meet the requirements of having a disability.
In order to meet the requirements of having a disability, an individual must demonstrate that their
psychiatric illness substantially limits a major life activity. Meeting requirements has become a
rigorous task for students because qualification is selective and problematic. Once a student has
establishment with the disability support services, reasonable accommodations must also be
considered, which can be difficult to accurately assess. Student deficiencies, poor instruction,
and disability-unfriendly campus climate all contribute to the retention and graduation rate
disparities students with disabilities experience (Kattsiyannis, Zhang and Landmark).
There will always be an obstruction on the path to success for students with psychiatric
illnesses. Stigma is the main obstacle, which greatly constricts a students motivation for selfadvocacy. Access to therapy and medication are also arduous to obtain, particularly in rural
areas. Lastly, accommodations provided by the university can be limiting and selective.
The University of New Mexico does provide solutions for those suffering from a mental
illness. Agora is highly advocated and free counseling services are offered at the Manzanita
counseling center. Counseling is also offered at the Student Health and Counseling (SHAC)
center. One notable scholarship for students with a psychiatric disability is the CohenMarchiando (COMAR) scholarship; the scholarship provides full tuition to students who qualify.
Counseling, Assistance, and Referral Services is another counseling resource for students at
UNM. The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) works with students who have disabilities.
Some services provided by ARC include establishment of a disability that can be documented
with professors. Lastly, Career Services assists students in developing, constructing, and
changing career and employment pathways. Some services offered by the Career Services
include career advising, referencing, job fairs, and workshops.
Limitations
My biggest limitation is that I did not conduct a survey. My questions could have been more
specific; my questions could have been less of yes or no type questions. Moreover, my
questions could have been formulated better. I figured that conducting an interview would be
more intimate and allow me to gather information of a sensitive nature. The people I chose for
the interview were not random, therefore, making my study biased. I knew ahead of time who I
was going to pick to interview. Thus, my results cannot truly be called authentic. One limitation
was finding a mentally ill student to participate. Of course, the participant was told they would
remain anonymous. However, because of mental health stigma, these questions could not have

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

been answered with true honesty. Mental health is a very sensitive subject and to get authentic
questions is out of my control.

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

RESULTS
Questions

Non Mentally Ill Student

Response
No.

Mentally Ill Student

Response
No.

Yes.

I have not heard of any other

counseling services besides
Agora.

Yes.

Yes.

I know that its basically like

a small clinic for UNM
students.
Ive never heard of it.

You can fill prescriptions and

receive counseling. I think
you can also get flu shots.
What is that?

Yes.

Yes.

I do not have a disability.

No. Im too ashamed.

Ive thought about it.

No.

Ive looked in to it but I have

not considered going. I dont
feel I need to.

I didnt know that that was

offered. Im glad that I know
now because it is confusing
to balance my illness and still
plan for a career.

No because I do not have a

There was a time I was

Were you aware that there is

a scholarship for students
with a diagnosable mental
illness?
Have you heard of the free
counseling services at
Manzanita Counseling
Center?
Did you know that you can
call a crisis helpline called
Agora? Its free of charge as
well.
What do you know about
Student Health and
Counseling (SHAC)?
What do you know about
Counseling and Referral
Services (CARS)?
Did you know that there is
departmental assistance for
students with disabilities?
Have you established your
disability with the
Accessibility Resource
Center?
Have you compared prices at
SHAC for medications?
Have you had any
involvement with Career
Assistance to not only
provide career resources, but
guide you as you balance
your illness?
Have you had any

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

complications with your

disability.
professors willingness to
accommodate your disability?

hospitalized and I had not

previously established with
my professors that I had a
disability. However, most of
my professors were willing to
work with me for the time I
missed in the hospital.

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

Discussion
My results inform my overall research question by showing that college students with a mental
illness are not receiving the help they need, therefore, there is a lower graduation rate for people
of this group. My secondary research provided several explanations that were validated by my
interviews. It appears that students with a mental illness do not have high chances of graduating
mostly because of social stigma. If the student knew it was okay to self-advocate, many of the
social obstacles would dissipate. In order to self-advocate, the student must acknowledge their
need for therapy and/or medication. Next, the student must establish their disability with the
disability resource center. Students in rural areas such as New Mexico have another obstruction
lack of resources. Many students feel there are limited options for psychiatric services.
Moreover, deep feelings of shame may prevent the student from establishing their psychiatric
disability with the professor. On occasion, professors have been known to not work with their
student despite their disability. When a student faces several obstructions, graduation may feel
near impossible. However, the University of New Mexico does offer a wide range of options for
students to help them graduate. It is important to advocate these resources so students with a
mental illness can raise their likelihood of graduating. What must be understood is that selfadvocacy is key. In order to achieve self-advocacy, the student cannot feel shame. Once selfadvocacy is achieved, the student can feel the freedom needed to utilize university resources.
Recommendations
I recommend that more seminars or presentations should be held to encourage students to
speak up about their psychiatric disability. Within this presentation, resources should be
presented so the student knows their options. Based on responses from my participant, the
student would be more likely to use their resources if they knew there would be no shame
involved, and if they knew how to access the resources. Therefore, students should be taught
how to self-advocate their illness so they can help themselves proceed towards their goal of
graduation.

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

Works Cited
Roberts, Laura Weiss, John Battaglia and Richard Epstein. "Frontier Ethics: Mental Health Care
Needs and Ethical Dilemmas in Rural Communities ." Psychiatry Online (1999): 497503.
Wallerstein, Nina and Bonnie Duran . "Using Community Based Participatory Research To
Adddress Health Disparities ." Sage Journals (2006): 1-12.
Goodrich, Kristopher and Richard Shin. "A Culturally Responsive Intervention for Addressing
Problematic Behaviors in Counseling Students." Wiley Online Library (2013): 43-55.
Kattsiyannis, Antonis, et al. "Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities ." Sage
Journals (2009): 35-45.
Lee, Steffi. Trends Among College Students with Mental Illness. 2012. Iowa Watch. Web. Date
accessed February 23, 2016.
UNM. Accessibility Resource Center. n.d. Electronic Source. 9 March 2016.
UNM. Career, Assistance, and Referral Services. n.d. Electronic Source. 9 March 2016.
UNM Student Handbook. Career Assistance. n.d. Electronic Source. 9 March 2016.
Appendix
My Questionnaire:
a.

Were you aware that there is a scholarship for students with a diagnosable mental
illness?

b.

Have you heard of the free counseling services at Manzanita Counseling Center?

c.

Did you know that you can call a crisis helpline called Agora? Its free of charge
as well.

d.

What do you know about Student Health and Counseling (SHAC)?

e.

What do you know about Counseling and Referral Services (CARS)?

f.

Did you know that there is departmental assistance for students with disabilities?

g.

Have you established your disability with the Accessibility Resource Center?

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Carissa Arellano
Professor Potter
ENG 219-027
21 February 2016

h.

Have you compared prices at SHAC for medications?

i.

Have you had any involvement with Career Assistance to not only provide career
resources, but guide you as you balance your illness?

j.

Have you had any complications with your professors willingness to

accommodate your disability?