Campus Mental Health Services – Close the Gap and Build the Road to Success
Sumaiya N Khan
Executive Summary
Mental health issues among college students are rising. However, accessibility, awareness and acceptance pose constraints towards getting the much needed care. Many factors incorporate into these constraints thus policies should be put into place overcome the barriers and closing the gap to help students find their way to success.
Statement of Issue
Students face as lot of challenges as they are exposed to a different culture and campus lifestyle associated with colleges and universities. This may give rise to various mental health issues among the students. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses, a research study
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First of all, all campuses should be required to provide basic mental health services to its students. Secondly, there must be certain awareness programs made accessible not only within the campus but also in the community. In doing so, not only the students but also their friends and families will become aware of issues that may lead to mental health problems and would become better equipped to help and identify traits related to such issues. Third, the health service centers of all campuses should be equipped with intervention programs to enhance routine screening, not merely for the detection of mental illnesses but also to help prevent students dropping out and continuing with their education. Fourth, strict policies about students’ right to education should be enforced such that discrimination and punishment are not imposed to affected students. Having a mental health issue is a disability and discriminating against these students is very much in violation of the Americans with Disability Act. Therefore, despite the liability concerns, services should be offered to those who need …show more content…
With all the existing financial tension regarding funding for the current medical services, receiving the proper financial aid would be difficult but not impossible. In such instances, campuses should strive to find alternative funding sources. Furthermore, retaining the students should be top priority as the intuitions may also be able draw from the students’ tuitions to fund the mental health services in campuses. That being said, it is a strategy that may pay for itself.
References & Sources
1. L, D., Judge. (2014). Campus Mental Health Issues. Retrieved from http://www.bazelon.org/Where-We-Stand/Community-Integration/Campus-Mental-Health.aspx
2. The Top Mental Health Challenges Facing Students. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/top-5-mental-health-problems-facing-college-students/
3. Shandrow, K. L. (2016). Introducing Mood 24/7, a new tool that helps you track your mood from day to day using your mobile phone. Try it today! Discrimination Against Students with Mental Health Issues On the Rise. Retrieved from
There are many ways in which the mentally ill are degraded and shamed. Most commonly, people are stated to be “depressed” rather than someone who “has depression”. It is a common perception that mental illnesses are not a priority when it comes to Government spending just as it is forgotten that most mental health disorders can be treated and lead a normal life if treatment is successful. The effect of this makes a sufferer feels embarrassed and feel dehumanized. A common perception is that they should be feared or looked down upon for something they have not caused. People experience stigma as a barrier that can affect nearly every aspect of life—limiting opportunities for employment, housing and education, causing the loss of family ...
This is supported by Lunau (2012) in The Mental Health Crisis on Campus, “At college or university, they could be away from friends and family who know them best — people who might better recognize the warning signs of mental illness, like social withdrawal, increasing anxiety, a growing inability to cope, or other changes in behaviour.” This new experience and bing surrounded by new people forces into new social interactions.
With numbers, so low in mental health services, and many people who are diagnosed with a mental illness are college aged, we are seeing how important it is that our campus needs to improve (Jones, 2013, p 6). Furthermore, students with serious mental health disturbances, who do not receive care, can pose a potential risk to themselves and sometimes others. Studies have shown mental illnesses left untreated can lead to self-harm, and other forms of violence (Skegg, 2005, 1471; Stuart. 2003, 122). With young ages of onset, colleges try to prepare to help, but with long waitlists, students are unable to receive the help they need. Each semester, the OSU Student Counseling Center has a waiting list that is over fifty students long (Norman, 2016).
Can you picture the student voted “most likely to succeed” in your graduating class? This individual must have had everything going for them. They probably had good grades, popular, never in trouble, no health issues and socially and emotionally stable. However, twenty years later, after graduating college, a successful business owner, had a beautiful wife and three kids, he decides emotionally he is done and takes his own life. Mental health issues can manifest at anytime with varying degrees of significance on the emotional stability of a person. Factors such as socioeconomic status, biological and environmental issues all dictate mental health needs. Obviously, a variety of circumstances can evoke these mental health issues. Now imagine coping with these mental health issues and being expected to still be a normal student and conform to your peers around you. This is what we expect of our students dealing with a variety of mental health issues. The policies and procedures are established to meet the needs of all students. The mental health issues are recognized and evaluated based on the best placement for the student to receive an education. The public school system has the responsibility to provide a free and appropriate education. The school does the best they can to provide a whole school approach to deal with the increasing number of mental health concerns. However, the mental health concerns carry on beyond high school.
Mood symptoms like insomnia are considered as physical problems such as irritability and sleep disturbances. Efforts to identify and treat mental health problems not only improve employee
Unacceptable Illness Racism and discrimination are serious issues in our modern world. Yet, a major part of society contradicts itself by another type of discrimination, in which they deliberately show discrimination towards people with mental illness. In other words, a large part of society looks down at mentally disabled people and thinks very little of them causing various damages in the process. Furthermore, the desolation some people cause on mentally ill individuals is boundless, in which they can cause mentally ill people to develop issues that could even last a lifetime.
I met this student while co-facilitating a Counseling 20 course. During class, I noticed that the student had a difficult time communicating, therefore several weeks after building rapport with the student he disclosed his mental health condition. In addition, it was very challenging for the student to communicate his thoughts in a legible manner. Furthermore, in their class, the student took an assessment called the Strong Interest Inventory, which helps individuals identify
Mental Health in Urban Schools When it comes to the issue of mental health, urban schools have a lot of untapped strengths and assets, which reside within the students and their families, the school staff and the community resources. Urban schools are ripe for exploration, as we understand the importance of promoting a healthy emotional development and also because of the critical issues faced by students during the school year. Some of the students misbehave, some go through physical or sexual abuse, some of them are emotionally upset and others have difficulty getting along with their peers or adjusting to the school requirements. The central question behind any mental health approach should be – How can the schools engage these challenges?
Many college students, worldwide, face mental health issues because the pressures of college . Various responsbilities as a college student is the cause of this on going affair. Such as loan payments, passing courses, securing finicial stablity for every semester, social issues and determining their whole future before even living half of their lives. 55% of US college students drop out due to the stress. This is not minor issues at stake for students, falling behind in college is detrimental and a waste of money.
Depression is defined as a common but serious mental illness typically marked by sad or anxious feelings. Most college students occasionally feel these emotions, but they usually pass quickly within a couple of days. It is untreated depression that it interferes with daily activities, and is much more than just being “a little down” or “feeling blue.” The causes can include many things, a couple of which academic stress and self-esteem. These have been shown to have a great impact on the students.
The school board should have better ways of addressing mental illnesses so that teachers will know how to understand and deal with these students. Students in the classroom should also be educated on how to treat their peers with mental illnesses. The school board working alongside the parents and student to create a plan so that the student feels welcome and receives adequate help will make every day at school more manageable. Every child suffers from a mental illness is struggling in a completely different way. The school board as a whole needs to understand that “mental health can affect young people in a variety of ways varying degrees in the school environment.
Mental health crisis in North American higher education The number of university and college students on campuses that are suffering from anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and psychosis across North America is rising (Flatt, 2013). This escalation of students’ psychological needs has developed into a mental health crisis. Many mental disorders become evident between the age of 18and 24, which coincides directly with the average age of student enrolment in higher education (Flatt, 2013). It was also found that, the psychological disorders that the students are being treated for, while studying in higher education has increased in its severity. Following accidents and homicides, suicide has become the third leading cause of death among
Introduction The issue of mental health and wellbeing has become one of the most important topics of discussion and research in the world today. With the increase in activity, exponential developments and advancements in technology, physical and mental strain and stress, competition, the constantly changing dynamics of family and society and various other such factors, there are a number of reasons as to why an individual's mental wellbeing might be affected. The concept of mental health and wellbeing is rather wide in terms of all it encompasses, and thus can be studied in parts. In this essay, the focus has been laid on maintaining and managing mental health and wellbeing in the higher education sector - pertaining mainly to students, but
This shows that peer health education and interventions should focus its attention on addressing the high and growing prevalence of mental health issues in the college students population (Buchanan, 2012; Hunt et al., 2015; Kirsch et al., 2014). It is emphasized that many students with psychological problems do not seek counseling for their difficulties (Hunt, & Eisenberg 2010). Peer health education will need to work at changing attitudes toward seeking mental health services since it is increasingly negative among college students. (Shatkin & Diamond, 2015). By doing so, peer health education can help bridge the gap between student mental health needs and utilization of services (Kirsch et al.,
"Useful Psychology Information: Importance of Mental Health." Importance of Mental Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014.