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How to help students achieve academically by addressing mental health needs
According to the 2005 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors, more than
90 percent report an increase in the number of students with severe
psychological problems in recent years. Data from American College Health
Association’s National College Health Assessment also shows that 42 percent of
students felt so depressed they could not function.
An increasing number of students are coming to college with existing mental
health issues. In addition, many mental health disorders historically have a
period of first onset in the early ’20s, traditional college age. When you add
the stress of college life – being away from home for the first time, dealing
with academic pressures, and making new friends – those factors can trigger the
onset of a mental health problem even for those with no family or personal
history of mental illness.
But what role should colleges play in addressing the mental health needs of
their students?
“Colleges are supposed to educate kids, not be a health care system, but what
many administrators fail to realize is that emotional well-being and academic
success are linked,” says Richard Kadison, MD, chief of Mental Health Services
at Harvard University Health Services and co-author of the book, College of the
Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do About It.
“Early identification and treatment of mental health problems are two key
factors in helping students achieve a successful academic career,” says Douglas
G. Jacobs, MD, President and CEO of Screening for Mental Health (SMH).
“Screening programs can help identify students who may be at risk. That’s why
we started the CollegeResponse program.”
Similar to the community-based programs that SMH offers, CollegeResponse
provides health and counseling centers with educational materials and screening
tools that promote prevention, early detection and treatment of prevalent
mental health disorders and alcohol problems. Through in-person and online
programming, CollegeResponse aims to raise awareness, reduce stigma and
most importantly, refer students most in need to appropriate resources- either
on or off campus.
For the 2005/2006 academic year, over 700 colleges participated in the program
and more than 140,000 students took a screening either online or in-person. The
program also appears to motivate students to seek help. According to the online
screening data, of those who responded to the question – “Do you plan to seek
further evaluation?” – 62 percent answered “Yes,” they would follow-up.
Dr. Franca Mancini, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at
Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ, uses the program to reach out to
students who might not seek help on their own. “Most of the students who scored
positive were referred back to the counseling center and as of today, almost
all of them had made their follow-up appointments. It is quite possible that we
would not have made contact with these students without the screening,” says
Mancini.
For more information about the CollegeResponse program, visit
www.MentalHealthScreening.org/college.
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Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
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