By Charity Hester •
Since December 2018, Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah has been the focus of backlash after a student died from critical injuries sustained after falling from the fourth floor of a campus building. It was a reported suicide attempt.
As the news broke out to the BYU community, school officials found an anonymous letter from a female student later that day. The letter addressed the lack of resources and concern for mental health on the campus and called for more attention to the counseling and psychological services to provide therapy for all students.
In an interview with KSL after the incident, BYU spokesman Todd Hollingshead said that
“The campus has one counselor for about every 1,000 students. The average wait time for a student to be seen by a therapist at BYU is three to four weeks."
There are currently 33 mental health service workers at BYU’s counseling center and 33,663 students enrolled, according to current statistics on student enrollment. Hollingshead said that the university has emergency counseling services available 24/7 for students experiencing a crisis.
This dearth of resources is not uncommon for most colleges in the United States. Many colleges and universities lack communication between mental health providers and others involved in students’ care. Some students find that the counseling services available lack resources and inadequate experience. The average university has one professional counselor for every 1,737 students — fewer than the minimum of one therapist for every 1,000 to 1,500 students recommended by the International Association of Counseling Services.
“My school’s counseling center could do a better job at providing more counselors because the demand is so high, that is why it takes more time for people to be seen. Their caseloads are outrageous not allowing them to give the individual attention that most people require,” said Mia Jackson, a freshman at Howard University.
In a 2012 report on mental health, respondents identified specific areas where mental health care can be improved and why the mental health services on campus are poor.
Approximately 40 percent of college students haven’t accessed mental health services on their campus. They cite the number one reason as a limited number of counseling visits allowed on campus and a limited number of resources.
Beverly Philpott, a behavioral specialist, and psychotherapist for the state of California said many of these issues are due to a broken health system and to the lack of funding for mental health care and the stigma that hangs over mental health.
“This lack of regard to such a disease, with the pressures of day-to-day expectations to succeed from parents, family, professors and even oneself can be overwhelming to a person
who is struggling with a diagnosis such as depression and anxiety,” said Philpott.
As reported by college stats, an organization designed to help students make college decisions, 44 percent of American college students report having symptoms of depression.
As a result, many contemplate suicide each year.
“Suicide is often viewed as a mental disorder,” said Jean Harris, president & interim executive director at National Alliance on Mental Illness DC (NAMI). According to the American Psychological Association, suicides are most often as a result of depression or other mental illness.
One of the main causes of suicide is untreated mental illness, according to Kevin Caruso, the founder of Suicide.org. Thirty-nine percent of students in college experience mental health issues, according to Active Minds, a youth mental health advocacy group in Washington, D.C.
The handling of campus-related suicides has been a concern to schools since news reports on a college mental health crisis last year. The Washington Post reported that mental health problems rose significantly among young college students in America. According to a survey of 139 college and university counseling centers, the American Psychological Association reported that counseling centers have seen a 30% increase in students seeking appointments.
It is unclear to researchers at the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors if college itself is the cause of this rapid increase in mental health issues. In any case, if mental health issues aren't tended to, students’ success in school is in jeopardy.
However, when students receive help for their psychological problems, counseling can have a positive impact on academic success, retention and personal well-being. The AUCCCD survey found that 59 percent of clients indicated that counseling had helped them remain in school, and 60 percent stated that counseling had helped improve their academic performance.
Mental illness in college students has become more prevalent since the mid-1980s (according to Inside Higher Ed. Survey results from the mid-1980s indicate that about 15 percent of young adults could have been characterized as having significant mental health problems as seen in college students today.
Janiene Ausbrook was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1987 while attending Temple University.
It was Ausbrook’s senior year and she felt like she had a lot on her plate: she was a music announcer and news anchor at the university’s radio station, had a job working part-time and was an apprentice with a dance company. This “college overload” led to her becoming stressed. This stress later led to a mental breakdown, which helped her come to grips that, according to her, “something wasn’t right.”
It wasn’t until she went on a blind date and felt like someone was out to get her, the greek mafia more specifically. She then realized that she’d “lost touch with reality.” Ausbrook decided to leave school for a few semesters and go back home, which would cause her to graduate a year later than expected. She didn’t think much into getting any professional help once she was home, but her uncle convinced her to admit herself into a psych ward at George Washington hospital. It took two hospitalizations for her to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Despite her fear of possibly being treated medically, she was “prepared to do what she had to do to be healthy.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness , 80 percent of students feel overwhelmed with their responsibilities as a student.
Some of the most common mental illnesses found in college students today are most often anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), and eating disorders. The National Institute of Mental health provides FAQ sheets and statistics on what they deem as the most
common mental illnesses found in college students today.
Many students face different mental health issues while in college without the support of those who should be in their corner. Some students rely on the resources at the counseling center to cope with their mental health issues. College students across the country struggle with everyday life: relationship problems, health concerns, financial struggles as well as academic stresses.
Howard University senior Courtney Daniel said that the college has definitely contributed to her depression and anxiety.
“As a student, I understand that there are certain expectations of me,” Daniel said. “However, I don’t feel that many of the faculty members understand the extent of how mental health issues can affect productivity.”
As the demand for better mental health resources on college campuses increases, students can turn to friends, professors, and the university for guidance and support. Yet, sometimes, that is not a safe enough place for them.
Danielle Webb, Senior Program Director of Behavioral Medicine Unit at Jackson Park Hospital in Chicago, expresses her concern for students who may be reluctant to visit college counseling centers or speak to a professional. “I feel like a lot of college students go without seeking help due to the stigma that society puts on mental illness. Even though we have so much access to information there is the idea that they somehow will be labeled or seen in a not so flattering light if they seek help.”
“While I suffered through my own afflictions, I felt like the university in general treated me like a customer rather than a student or a person,” Daniel said. “That lack of care and concern further perpetuated the instability of my mental health throughout my matriculation at Howard University.”
Mental health conditions are common among most young adults in college. Most students first experience symptoms of having a mental illness before they become adults. Half develop the condition by age 14 and three quarters by age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health.
“Many of these illnesses arise before college, but don’t fully manifest until a student is away at college where they don’t have that normal support from family and friends,” said Harris.
“Here at NAMI, we have found that the engagement and involvement in one’s life enhances the evidence of recovery and resilience. It also helps reduce the stigma.”
Having a strong showing of support from professors will keep students from shying away from classes.
“I have several students each semester that have personal mental health issues they’re dealing with and honestly I don’t see the number of students, who have these issues, decreasing, which should be seen as a problem,” said Stephanie Turner, an Intro to a Psychology professor at Wright Community College.
Mental health specialists urge friends, families, and schools to bring more awareness by being able to acknowledge the signs and symptoms of individual suffering from a mental illness.
Look at one’s daily activities and how they might be changing from their normal routine, whether it's their eating habits, sleeping schedule, or social life. A gentle way of asking is “are you okay” we have to be the eyes and ears for each other and notice subtle changes, Harris urges. Those things need to be addressed in a gentle manner where we are not intimidating but showing compassion to the individual.
As mental health issues are becoming more prevalent in college students, according to
Family, friends, professors, and school administrators can inform themselves on the topic to know when to identify the population of students at high risk for mental illness and develop better ways to address this significant and growing crisis in young adults.