Mental illness in the university student population has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. Students with mental illness are understandably highly reluctant to disclose their condition to others due to fear of prejudice, “not blending in,” and a strong desire to appear self-reliant. This study considered whether disclosure to university support services, with all its perceived risks, had academic benefits for students with mental illness. Preliminary evidence was found that, for those students with mental illness who registered with the University’s Disability Support Service for assistance, academic achievement was significantly higher on average in the year following their joining the service. Academic retention for these students was comparable to their university peers. A number of recommendations are discussed that could accommodate for students’ learning needs, thereby benefitting those experiencing mental health difficulties. 1. Introduction Over the past few decades, mental illness in the university student population has been on the rise in both prevalence and complexity [1–3]. With many institutions looking to expand student enrolments as well as diversity, we can only anticipate that this trend will continue to increase with larger student numbers. Young adulthood is the age when mental illness symptoms typically first begin to appear and the effects of illness can have highly disruptive consequences on a young person’s education and employment outcomes. Poor mental health directly affects academic performance with students with mental illness reporting difficulties with motivation, concentration, and confidence, all of which impact negatively on the ability to persist and succeed in a tertiary environment [4]. Individuals with mental illness can also find it difficult to cope with the demands of study together with their illness and are often forced to take time out of their daily commitments to manage their condition [5]. To assist students with mental illness in persisting in their study, educational institutions offer a range of support programs and services, including counselling and disability support. These support services are common to a number of higher education institutions and provide psychotherapeutic single and group sessions as well as practical learning support such as linking the student with other services, advice on reasonable adjustment for assignments and exams, note-takers, accessible course material, and assistive learning technologies. However, in order to access these additional supports, students with
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