What Is Stigma Case Study

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Introduction Let me introduce you to Matt, a 19-year-old student at Montana State University who is just beginning his second semester of his freshman year. Moving to college from his small, rural hometown was a huge leap for Matt. He is not used to the bustling city of Bozeman, and campus at MSU is even busier. Busy scares Matt, it always has. Ever since he was a little tyke, Matt has been worried about being busy. It is not that he is lazy or afraid of putting forth effort, but instead Matt overanalyzes all of his situations and gets unnecessarily stressed about any obligations he must meet. In addition to stressing about being busy, Matt often feels restless and finds it hard to relax or even sleep. This is not a new thing for Matt who has been struggling with anxiety-induced sleep deprivation and the concentration issues that go with it from about around the fourth grade. Since his move to campus, Matt’s levels of anxiety have become debilitating. Matt has stopped eating at Miller Dining Hall out of fear of having so many possible interactions with strangers. Additionally, Matt has been distancing himself from the friends he made last semester, telling them that he is fatigued and …show more content…

Matt is especially vulnerable to stigma as a male. According to a surveyed completion of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Stigma Scale by Calear, Batterham, Griffiths, & Christensen (2017), the male gender is split into two groups when stigma is involved: the first, those with low recognition for anxiety, are generally seen to have higher internal stigma, and the second, men with increased depression ratings tend to be related to greater perceived stigmas (p. 212-213). If Matt is out of touch with his anxiety, he could have trouble finding courage in himself to get help. If Matt is also feeling depressed, his risk of thinking that society has a stigma towards him is included as

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