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Post by Admin on Feb 7, 2017 14:57:09 GMT -4
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Post by erogler on Feb 7, 2017 16:21:25 GMT -4
This article brings to light a number of valuable issues that need to be addressed. Mental health disorders and our inability to both recognize and treat them continues to cause harm to individuals and communities across the country. I agree that there needs to be more resources available to those who suffer from psychiatric disorders, but I differ in my opinion of who should be providing those resources. I don't think a college or university should ever be responsible for the healthcare of its students, especially when it comes to chronic conditions that require long-term follow up. These institutions were founded as academic institutions, with the purpose of educating, and preparing its students for the work force. Hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities is where we need to look for these improvements to take place. All students of higher education are required to have health insurance during their time of enrollment, a fact that enables these students to assimilate into the medical resources available to the community as a whole. In addition, it's obvious that accessible medical care is something all members of society deserve, no matter what stage of life you are in. Going to college can be emotionally draining, and may require psychiatric therapy, but so do an immeasurable amount of other life experiences that occur post-graduation. Let's look at the bigger picture and stop focusing on those who seem to make the most noise.
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Post by A. Frater on Feb 7, 2017 20:01:25 GMT -4
Moving away from family and friends to start university is an extremely stressful situation and the pressure put on students to succeed can be mentally crippling It is unfortunate that the funding isn't currently in place to increase the numbers of therapists. An option would be to have group therapy or specific group sessions (ex: specifically for eating disorders) on campus 2-3 times per week where students can go and talk in a group setting. This also will help them understand that they are not alone and have other people nearby that are going through similar issues giving them a new support system. When screening callers for individual appointments, instead of asking "Is this an emergency?," they may want to consider asking outright if they are considering harming themselves or others.
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Post by knedeff on Feb 7, 2017 23:05:51 GMT -4
The ratio of undergraduates to mental health providers at various universities across the country came as a bit of a surprise to me. The extremely high ratios therefore make sense as to why the wait times are often times so long. I do not however believe either of these figures should be looked upon as acceptable. College brings about a variety of changes, which could be even more alarming for those whose first time away from home it is. Although it is not the individual university’s responsibility to “parent” their students, they should provide any and all resources to help with the transition and those who seek help should not be turned away. There should at the very least be a system in place to help more effectively screen individuals’ calls and prevent anyone from harming themselves or others.
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Post by ianjvalmont on Feb 8, 2017 13:23:47 GMT -4
I think this article hit the nail on the head when it said "colleges are ranked by the number of their professors and the quality of their food - or whether their gyms house rock-climbing walls". The importance of mental health is becoming a more apparent and the general public is starting to acknowledge it but it is still on the back burner. It is kept as an afterthought. As mentioned in the article, many schools provide a set number of free or reduced fee appointments but after that students pay out of pocket. When schools are being marketed they emphasize results, prestige and lifestyle not access to health facilities. The main issues is that this goes beyond individual schools, I don't doubt they are doing all they can with the resources they have but they don't have enough. Schools need to be able to help students in crisis right away, when they are in the crisis. I think the comparison to treating strep throat was a fair one, a walk-in clinic at a university would not tell the student to come back in a couple weeks to get antibiotics, they should not be forced to do that for those with mental health concerns.
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Post by Fatima Misbah on Feb 8, 2017 20:32:11 GMT -4
The ratio of undergraduates to the mental health providers at post-secondary institutions across the country along with the time and effort needed for a consultation is not surprising. It is alarming that people who really need some counseling in the ways that can help them need to wait, sometimes months, to see these mental health providers. For some of these students it is their first time away from home and any sort of guidance, it is very hard for them to adjust and it is made harder when they cannot get any time with the guidance counselors until things have gone from bad to worse, as is said in the article: “Students are turned away every day from receiving the treatment they need, and multiple suicide attempts and deaths go virtually ignored each semester”. There is a great need for mental health professional in society to prevent such tragedies form occurring.
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Post by tamuno belema on Feb 9, 2017 12:38:53 GMT -4
Well is unfortunate there has been a neglect on this for a long time although i am not so sure why student demand for mental health care is uprising but i know that one thing we cant really eliminate totally is stressor as we move on at different stages of life we meet different challenges and stressors of which by my own opinion is part of life. If a child in college is having any difficulty focusing on college you most likely want to look at the family backgroud i.e where the child is coming from if he or she has any good support from home. I had a friend who committed suicide after several attempts reason being that his parents made him study a certain course when he had a liking for another. And so you want to also put that into consideration while these colleges and higher educations makes psychaitrist,counsellors etc available and reachable for students most on them being freshman in college they are confused and not even sure of what they want to do. Some of us where opportuned to have elderly figures and mentors to help put us in the right part and so there is a need for counsellor(s) which should be made available and easily reached,and i think it lies in the respective college administration to correct this lapses.
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Post by akritipuri on Feb 9, 2017 13:22:33 GMT -4
What I find disheartening is that you have to attempt to commit suicide in order to be considered an emergency patient. A person calls to ask for assistance due to the fact that they require it at that moment and because they’re going through something they feel incapable of coping with. I agree with what the article said about students downplaying their situation and to think they are not in a “true crisis if they have the presence of mind to ask for help.” Emotions cannot be calculated and to ask one to elaborate on their concerns just to deem them as anything other than of significance is something that I find genuinely awful. We don’t know when someone will break. In colleges and universities, there are many day to day stressors that students are forced to face. Not everyone is capable of dealing with the overwhelming demands of school, keeping up with their social life and their family all at once, especially international students who may have a hard time adjusting. It’s understandable that there are not enough counselors or psychiatrists for so many students but let’s not overlook the power of someone being there just to listen. This can be done not just by healthcare professionals but also academic professional who are in the presence of students every single day. I believe professors of all sorts should be educated about mental health issues for this sole purpose.
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Post by seunghoonyang (ms4) on Feb 9, 2017 15:02:46 GMT -4
Being separated from their family for the first time is hard for anyone. Most times its when they start college. This thus could bring many new behavior and mental problems. However, most colleges and universities lack medical support for these possible problems. Students have to come up with their own way to cope with the stress and problems. Some do well but some seek alternative methods like using recreational drugs and alcohol. I definitely agree with the article that colleges need more supports to those who suffer from mental health issues and stressful situations. Saying that, it is almost impossible for a college to cover all the students under medical treatment for mental health problems. However, they could help by creating more support groups and activities that help students relieve their stress at times. This article is very on point about the problems that colleges create when they were supposed to help and solve any problems or questions college students may have.
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Post by Adenike Orogade on Feb 9, 2017 16:37:50 GMT -4
The article is relevant in both undergraduate ax well as medical school environments. Studdbgvwho are moved out from one say of life to the order develop different coping skills. It is important to talk or go over these skills with the students ad that could easily eradicate the issue s faced without falling into an absolute depressive state. Hiwrvet, the demand to increase this programs may lead to an increase of tuition. Appart from the fact that the information will not be confidential.. students will have the information in record and could potentially damage future prospective job offers.
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Post by Nicholas Ruth on Feb 9, 2017 17:40:37 GMT -4
This article presents a lot of data about the lack of mental health resources on campuses, but does little to provide solutions except for hiring more resources. With the cost pressures on universities to provide more professors, classes, etc while at the same time reducing tuition and fees because of the ever increasing student debt level, just hiring more resources may not be practical. While college can be frightening and stressful for students, what is the best way to help reduce these tensions. Many undergraduate and graduate schools are now recommending gap years to help prepare students with this transition. Also, we have become enamored with the idea that everyone should get a college degree. Some students may be better off learning a trade (electrician, plumber, etc) which will provide a good career and potentially better job prospects. Also, universities could establish standing session (similar to AA meetings) where students could find a support group and more timely help if they are experiencing a crisis. Finally, I believe the universities need to tap into the medical resources in the surrounding communities to provide some of the needed mental health resources. The students' health insurance should enable the students to effectively utilize these outside resources.
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Post by Sirhley Sifontes on Feb 9, 2017 21:14:27 GMT -4
Moving away for college is a very stressful time specially because for most students this is the time when they are really away from their family and in the “real world” for the first time. The transition from high school to college in regards to the amount of credits and the load of work, tests and not to mention the 100’s of people in one single class can be overwhelming. Having good family and friend support is great but sometimes it is not enough and although it might not be economically feasible to hire more therapist to meet the needs, I believe group support would be a good way to alleviate the shortage and try to help the most students with the littlest amount of resources. Also, awareness and education about mental problems can help students open up more as well as learning how to find an “outlet” in order to cope with the different stressors they are facing.
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Chaminda Dissanayake (MS3)
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Post by Chaminda Dissanayake (MS3) on Feb 10, 2017 14:07:38 GMT -4
This article underscores not only the importance of mental health as a whole, but specifically the paradigm shift that has occurred, with university students now not being ashamed of stigma nearly as much as in the past. I personally did not see nearly as much attention and consideration paid to the mental well-being of university students when I was in undergrad, for example. I applaud the students for having the courage to not only come forward but also work together to bring attention to the matter of their universities being so understaffed, which has a direct outcome on patient care as clearly illustrated by both the statistics and the personal accounts provided in the article. It is unfortunate that literally a tragedy, in this case suicide, has been the impetus or at least driving force upon which this 'call to arms', so to speak, is predicated upon. Mental health has come a long way in terms of being considered important and taken seriously, but now as a society we must do something about it. I hope that undergraduate institutions will offer jobs which enough incentives to hire full time psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, etc. to take care of the growing need for mental health resources and care that has been emphasized in the article.
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amber
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Post by amber on Feb 10, 2017 16:00:40 GMT -4
These issues that students face can further exacerbate their mental illness which put them in a downward spiral. Such students, sadly, are the canary in the coal mind of what society has become. It is unfortunate especially since the management of the mentally ill is instrumental towards marketing them for college, the job market, social acceptance...This ties in with the previous article that medical students are more likely to suffer from depression, the need for mental health support cannot be more clearly delineated. It appears that the focus has been on inadequacies of institutions, I believe it should also highlight inadequacies of our society and more effort should be put on finding solutions not just at a College level. Petitions can bring attention to a problem but very little is done unless ideas are presented.
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Post by Eli Saleeby AUIS on Feb 10, 2017 21:41:57 GMT -4
The need for an increased availability of mental health facilities is not only a problem at university campuses across the country but affects all demographics and all age groups. Student are highly susceptible to the stresses of life as they are in a very unique place. Leaving home for the first time and being exposed to new ideas and the rigors of deciding on the future of your life with very little previous exposure to the world can be taxing on the youth. Without the proper availability of psychiatrists & therapists the number of fatalities will surely rise leaving family in ruin from disaster that may have been averted. Just as an MI is triaged into the front of the cue, patients with a history of harmful behavior or those admitting they are having thoughts of suicide should be seen posthaste in order to prevent them from taking harmful actions against themselves.
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