According to SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology Paulin Straughan, the terms stress and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are used very loosely without serious appreciation of what it feels like to suffer from the disability. There is a strong negative stigma attached to the disorders which prevent people who are affected from stepping up to seek help. SMU places heavy emphasis on peer support and has a team of 5 full time councillors bolstered by 80 trained peer helpers who look out for peers who may be struggling. These peer helpers go through workshops which equip them with the ability to be the first line of assistance. Since councillors can only reach out when students step forward, the peer helpers normalise the relationship between councillors and students.