A comparative study on mental health seeking behavior of university students in India and Taiwan

Mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety have become very common in young individuals which often go unnoticed easily these days. Every year there is a rise in the number of individuals who have undiagnosed anxiety or depression, which can negatively impact their ability to learn and enjoy time in universities. Within this context, the current pilot study aims to highlight students help seeking behavior in case of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Data was collected from 112 individuals studying at universities in India and Taiwan. Moderation analysis and basic statistical methods were used for data analysis. Results show that depression caused a greater number of individuals to feel ashamed and embarrassed about themselves in Taiwan as compared to India which further raised their worries about hindering academic performance. Also, contrary to previous studies, a higher number of male students were found to experience anxiety and depression than their female student counterparts in this study. We also found that maximum participants were the most comfortable talking to their friends or seeking help from various online platforms and social media networks for their mental health problems, rather than seeking treatment from counseling services. There is an urgent need for the universities to intervene and educate various stakeholders in the universities about mental health problems and their impact on academic performance. It has also become crucial to create awareness around stigma of mental ill-health as it remains one of the key barriers to promote effective mental health care solutions. Fundamentally, there needs to be a shift in the culture in the world, especially in the Asian countries to eliminate stigma and ensure that individuals are not reluctant to timely and openly communicate about their mental health problems.