Jared Lee Loughner, the Pima Community College student who is at the center of the recent shootings in Tucson, Arizona, had been referred to campus counseling services by his college algebra teacher due to his troubling behavior. According to The Washington Post, Loughner was served a suspension notice from PCC by a police officer due to multiple incidents in his algebra class, and was not allowed to return to classes without being cleared by a mental health professional.
Researchers are finding that more and more students are coming to college with pre-existing mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. However, as the number of students who potentially need mental health services on campuses grows and funding for such resources shrinks, colleges are scrambling to figure out how to support college students with mental illnesses while respecting the individual rights of all students.
College Students and Mental Illness
According to the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA,) colleges are not just seeing a rise in the number of cases of mental illness in college students, but also an increase in the severity of mental illness. A study conducted by Kansas State University shows "a significant increase in student psychopathology in 14 out of 19 areas, e.g., depression, suicidal thoughts, sexual assaults, personality disorders, and the like," with college and university counselors seeing an 85% increase in the number of more severe psychological disorders.
Why this increase? Researchers are citing a number of reasons for the increased numbers of students with mental illnesses. These include pre-existing conditions, drug and/or alcohol abuse, lack of proper preparation for college life, increased stress from balancing multiple obligations, and natural psychological development that occurs during one's late teens and early twenties.
In addition, more college students are having to balance college, jobs to pay for college, and the encouragement to "submerse themselves in college life" in order to appear successful in college and to be marketable after graduation. With all of this pressure to succeed at balancing all of these obligations, more and more students are finding themselves in mental turmoil.
Helping College Students with Mental Illnesses
Mental health professionals, college and university administrators, and researchers debate what is the best way to reach out to students with mental illnesses and, if necessary, help them seek more appropriate treatment before they can return to class and be successful while living with a mental illness.
In The New York Times's January 12 "Room for Debate," mental health professionals and higher education administrators cited several ways in which colleges and universities can help students with mental illnesses. While offering traditional counseling services is necessary, Robert Gallagher, the former Vice President of Student Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, wrote that "Counseling centers are available on almost all college campuses, but only a little over 10 percent of students utilize the services. Most seek help on their own or are referred in by someone on campus who is concerned about them. A very small number of students are mandated to seek counseling because of problematic behavior."
Statistics such as these show the need for a new approach to college counseling services. New outreach tactics such as outreach programs, increased interaction between faculty, administration, and counselors, and educating students on the symptoms of mental illness or distress and campus resources available can help students seek a mental health professional before they become overwhelmed.
Groups such as To Write Love On Her Arms, Active Minds, and Syracuse University's Campus Connect are enlisting the help of college students and professionals across all fields to help raise awareness of mental health issues. Organizations such as these help to remind college students and young adults that help is available, and that no one has to suffer alone.
Disabilities advocates are also pushing for more coverage for mental health conditions to receive "reasonable accommodations" by college and university disabilities services offices. In some cases, students may need one or two reasonable accommodations, such as a room to themselves or untimed test taking, to reduce the impact of learning disabilities or anxiety on their daily lives.
Sometimes, state laws trump what services are available to college students who are seeking help coping with mental illnesses. In states such as Arizona, lawmakers have passed legislation that allows peers, family members, teachers, or coworkers to petition the court to force an individual to seek treatment for a psychological disorder in certain conditions.
No matter the cause or the approach to coping with mental illness, colleges and universities are trying to find ways to better serve the increasing number of college students with psychological disorders. In doing so, these students have a better chance at succeeding academically and socially in college and staying in school to complete their degree.
Ashley Anderson - Ashley is an Ohio-based writer and editor with specializations in higher education, writing, and social activism.
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