Young Americans are facing a mental health crisis — and many are not getting the support they need.
About three-quarters of college students rated their mental health as “good” before the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, but nearly half (48%) said that overall mental health theirs got worse since the pandemic, under a monopoly Luck survey of 1,000 college students conducted by Harris Poll in June.
“No one can argue that COVID has made life more difficult for everyone, especially for young adults and young adults. I’m not sure we’ve given enough credit to young people for what they’ve been through with COVID,” Alison MalmonCEO and founder of the campus mental health advocacy group Active mind.
In these challenging times, many The nation’s 16 million university students are turning to their on-campus counseling services for help — only to encounter limited staffing, red tape, length restrictions on services, and long wait times . While more than half of college students said they had attended therapy at some point, less than a third reported using any mental health resources on campus, according to the study. Fortune’s survey.
But despite the obstacles colleges and universities face in providing comprehensive mental health resources, there are actions schools can take now to provide immediate and immediate relief. help mitigate the ongoing crisis in schools across the country.
Overall, most experts think it’s possible to take a multi-pronged approach to the crisis: long-term training and education of a new generation of therapists, plenty of clinical and non-clinical resources. clinical practice, and a more holistic approach to mental health. Students and parents may also need to adjust their expectations.
“Colleges and universities are clearly really interested in academic rigor and graduates. But the world is not the same [post-pandemic]and so they will have to change their perception of what it means to be a successful student,” said Dr. Tia Dole, executive director of Steve Foundationa non-profit organization focused on the mental health of young people of color.
Why the lack of quality services?
Most colleges and universities ostensibly have little incentive to provide robust mental health resources. Colleges are essentially businesses with many competing priorities. Apparently schools just need to provide an education in exchange for high tuition. But there is an implicit (and sometimes explicit) promise that these institutions will provide a safe and supportive environment for matriculated students.
It is also said to be in the best interest of colleges and universities to support its students. Students are more likely to drop out and transfer schools when they experience mental health difficulties. The latest data from Sallie Mae shows that 14% of students say mental health is the main reason they don’t graduate. Other studies put that number close to a quarter of students.
However, for all the mental health issues that can jeopardize a student’s academic success and overall well-being, there are few federal or state requirements that require schools to provide minimal mental health resources.
While almost Three-quarters of all university presidents identify student mental health as a pressing issue Last year, the implementation of substantive action was slow.
Paula Johnson, president of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, said: “Everybody realizes it’s a big problem and I think each campus is struggling a little bit with the best approaches to solving the problem. this topic.
In many cases it’s a resource issue. There is simply not enough. According to the Center for Colleague Mental Health’s (CCMH)’s 2021 annual report, about 35% of universities reported having set limits on individual counseling sessions. And nearly half of college counseling centers use a version of The “step-by-step care” model, which initially provides the student with the least resource-intensive treatment and only enhances the level of care if required. That means many times, students need to try self-guided solutions, workshops, and peer support groups before they have a chance to receive individual therapy sessions.
Step-by-step care efforts to ensure students receive the support they need, while managing the university’s limited resources of counseling. Most universities have only a handful of full-time counselors and therapists. According to CCMH results, about 65% do not have a dedicated staff to provide psychiatric services.
But the current services at most universities are often in short supply. This type of crisis needs a national strategy to find possible solutions and set clear parameters, Johnson said. “There is no agency that owns this problem – and it is a problem,” she said. As a result, schools have very different standards and procedures, making it even more confusing for students (and their families) to navigate.
On-campus counseling centers are also struggling with a nationwide talent shortage of clinicians. “We need more doctors than we ever needed before. And we need to start getting people excited about getting into mental health careers while they’re young,” said Brett Donnelly, vice president of college health business development at Mindpath Healthoffers face-to-face and virtual therapy and psychiatry to college students at seven locations in California and one location in Minneapolis.
What can universities do now to ease the crisis?
Building that human capital will take time. Instead, many experts see peer-to-peer mental health resources and even telehealth as more immediate solutions to help defuse the crisis on campus.
Malmon argues that there needs to be a bit of “clinical elimination” of the mental health space. “It can’t just be the clinical mental health workforce that can tackle this,” she says, adding that many times, peer-to-peer programs like Active Minds can help support, as well as encourage encourage students to participate more actively. within the campus community or student groups. And that sense of belonging can help maintain students’ mental health in the long run.
Many new mental health tech startups are also eyeing the field. Spring Health, founded in 2016, works with several institutions of higher education. Most schools choose unlimited access to the company’s digital or self-guided tools — including help finding the best care options and crisis counseling — as well as six to 12 free sessions with a therapist or drug provider.
Adam Chekroud, co-founder and president of Spring Health, said: “I received my PhD from Yale University and have seen first-hand how difficult it is for students to access mental health care. how. Luck. “Most universities are simply not established to adequately meet the need for mental health services. And so instead, there are incredibly long waiting periods when people raise their hands and ask for care, and many students simply don’t mind. ”
These services can be expensive, says Dr. Doug Hankes, licensed psychologist and executive director of student psychology and counseling services at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.
“A lot of counseling centers and universities… spent tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on these third-party providers, and students didn’t use them,” Hankes said. . But even so, he said he is evaluating options for the upcoming school year to provide more accessibility, as well as diversity of options, for students.
Auburn, winner 2022 Healthy Campus Award from Active Minds, has adopted a multidisciplinary approach to mental health that goes beyond just the medical services provided. At Auburn, including student mental health clubs and peer support, “Zen Den” offers a variety of stress management resources for students such as nap rooms and light therapy for Seasonal Disorders, as well as a therapy dog program that includes Dr. Moose, Dr. Nessie, and Dr. Rooster. Students are also eligible for up to 10 free individual therapy sessions per academic year.
Mental health interventions and prevention may also be needed earlier — possibly even in the classroom. Some high schools and colleges require students to take a health class, but rarely is mental health the focus. But if young adults were given the tools to help them overcome adversity and manage their stress earlier, it could help ease the pressure on college resources. Even in college, it can be a precautionary step. Wellesley College includes mental health curriculum in one of the first year written courses.
In addition to direct support from universities, Hankes says Parents and students should go to school with realistic expectations. Families generally expect to have the same level of resources they receive through private care, says Hankes. This is not always the case — and families may need to make arrangements in advance.
“People are talking about mental health in a way that never existed,” Malmon said. But that means it’s now up to the ‘adults in the room’ to take action and give this generation the tools they need to get their mental health right.
“We all have mental health. Maybe not all of us have mental illness, but we all have mental health,” Malmon said. And so what are we going to do to support each other and ourselves to improve mental health and make sure those who need something… can access it? ”
