The Diamondback UMD’s Leading Student-Run Newspaper Tuesday, October 25, 2016 $1.50 UMD students frustrated with lack of mental health service availability By: Melissa Eek College Park, Ma, What is Mental Health? Mental health is defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.” It also includes how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). College students often feel overwhelming. pressure to excel in all aspects of their daily lives, (Hannah Richardson/BBC) Prevalence of Mental Health Problems Among College Students In the 2011 National College Health Assessment sponsored by the American College Health Association, 50.6% of college students felt overwhelming anxiety within the last 12 months. While students are experiencing such high levels of anxiety, they are not addressing their mental health on campus. A study by the Journal of American College Health on college students found that “most of the participants (90%) reported never using counseling for emotional problems during the previous 6 months; 5% reported that they had received counseling once during the period, and. 5% reported that they had received counseling more than once during this period,” (Rosenthal and Wilson 63). According to another study by the Journal of American College Health, one in four college students feel they do not have enough knowledge to contact theit mental health services (Yorgason, et al 175). The Stigma Surrounding Mental Health In a journal article by the University of Chicago Center "for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Chicago Consortium for Stigma Research, researchers argued that “although stigmatizing attitudes are not limited to mental illness, the public seems to disapprove persons with psychiatric disabilities significantly more than persons with related conditions such as physical illness” (Corrigan and Watson 17). The media often provides its audienc: with stereotypes that play into people’ fears and emotions, so it seems likely that a stigma surrounding mental health. is so widespread The media, however, is not the only source for the negative connotations surrounding mental health issues. Corrigan and Watson propose a situational model in their article “Understanding the impact of stigma with mental illness” surrounding the paradox between self-estec righteous anger in unders esteem (18). “Models that explain the experience of self-stigma need to scount for some persons whose sense of self is harmed by social stigma versus others who are energized and forcefully react to, the injustice,” (Corrigan and Watson 18). Short-Term Consequences In terms of individual consequences, students with higher levels of psychological distress have higher test anxiety levels, lower academic self esteem, and less effective time management and use of study resources (Kitzrow 169 - 170). On a campus-wide scale, college students who do not address mental health can cause even greater damage. According to a 2003 journal article by NASPA, “students with emotional and behavioral problems have the potential to affect many other people on campus, including roommates, classmates, faculty, and staff, in terms of disruptive, disturbing, or even dangerous behavior” (Kitzrow 171). Long-Term Effects According to a study done Danson R Jones et al, researchers found that persons with serious mental ilIness tend. have poorer physical health than those without mental illness, especially in terms of obesity, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, HIV, and both chronic and acute pulmonary disease (1250). The study found that among the fourteen chronic physical illnesses surveyed, chronicpulmonary illness was the most likely to occur among people (Jones et al. 1250). A study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that the average life expectancy of those who experience major mental illness ranged from 49 to 60 years of age. In comparison, the average _life expectancy in the United States is 77.9 ‘years (Insel) Factors That Cause Students to Avoid Addressing Mental Health In a 2001 study, researchers found that there were four main reasons that students chose to not address their ‘mental health (Kessler et al 996): ed © Lack of Perecived Situational Barriers Financial Barriers Perceived Lack of Effectiveness Often financial burdens force students to feel that they cannot address their mental health (Anna Winston/Dezeen) Government Initiatives Taken to Address Mental Health On September 1, 2016, the Department of Human Services released new standards for their Head Start Programs, which centers on health and safety practices, mental health, services for children with disabilities, and support for dual language learners. College Students’ Perception of Mental Health Service Websites According to a survey conducted by the National Alliance for Mental Illness, more than 40% of college students found their college’s health setvices website to only be “somewhat helpful” (Crudo and Gruttadaro 11). If students are unsure of the services their universities offer, how can college mental health centers expect to be successful? HEAUTH CenTeR ge for UMD’s Mental Health Services. (University of Maryland Health Center/UMD) UMD’s Services © Medication Evaluations and Medication Management Current Mental Health ‘© Mental Health Emergencies © Short Term Individual Therapy © Group Therapy ‘© Suicide Prevention Program © ADHD Treatment © Eating Disorder Referral and Treatment Navigating UMD’s Mental Health Services Website The website offers little information beyond the bulleted services listed above. Each student is required to make an appointment by calling the UMD Health Center, unless they are interested in short term individual therapy. ‘The site fails to indicate how many times students. can attend individual therapy, receive medication evaluation from a UMD psychiatrist, or what separates counseling from mental health services. These issues leave students frustrated and seeking guidance (University of Maryland). Funding for UMD’s Mental Health Services As of 2013, officials at the University of Maryland pledged to spend $500,000 per year for the next ten years on mental health (Recto. This. five million dollar increase came afer graduate student Dayvon Green fatally shot one of his roommates and wounded another, shortly before killing himself (Rector), According to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, out of the 7 million distributed to UMD’s Health — Center, only 12.3% (S0.86M/$7M) of the total funds provided go to mental health services (Swaak). 64% ($3.4M/SS3.4M) of UMD’s student services total budget was allocated to the Counseling Center (Swaak). These results come from the 2015 fiscal year budget (Swaak) UMD's Student Response to Mental Health Services On November 23, 2015, The Diamondback’s article “The Waiting Game” noted that “even with about 50 to 90 appointments a day, students with nonurgent [mental health] cases often must wait two to three w before meeting with a psychotherapist” (Swaak), Although not explicitly stated by the Counseling Center, students are only allowed eight counseling sessions Students like Katherine Swanson, a govemment and politics major, are forced to end their routine counseling sessions early (Swaak). In. the “Waiting Game” article, Swanson was, quoted saying “I couldn’t keep seeing the person at the Counseling Center who already knew all of | my information and knew everything I'd been talking to them about. I just had to stop seeing them, and that, to me, was upsetting.” What now? Mental health awareness continues to be an important issue for the campus community, and stigmatizing it will not cause the problem to diminish. While UMD’s Mental Health Services attempt to shorten long wait times for students, many students are angered by the university failure to take extended action. If students like Dayvon Green and Katherine Swanson feel they cannot get the answers they need to be able to approach UMD's Mental Health Services, the university will continue to experience dissatisfaction among its students.