Universities need to rethink their approach to student mental health

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May 15, Peyton Webb, an SMU Senior (who was graduated in May 2023), for an op-ed noting a spike in student mental health issues and advocating that universities re-evaluate their approach to providing treatment and promoting awareness on campuses. Published in the Dallas Morning News under the heading Universities need to rethink their approach to student mental health: https://tinyurl.com/29n2rfay

​With graduation for the class of 2023 upon us, students who should be leaving their universities with diplomas and full-time job offers are also walking away with chronic impacts on their mental health.

Last year, a nationwide TimelyMD survey of college students revealed concerning data that exposes a much-ignored epidemic of mental health issues and ongoing stress in college students.

More than 70% of college students reported experiencing a mental health issue in 2023

By Peyton Webb

With graduation for the class of 2023 upon us, students who should be leaving their universities with diplomas and full-time job offers are also walking away with chronic impacts on their mental health.

Last year, a nationwide TimelyMD survey of college students revealed concerning data that exposes a much-ignored epidemic of mental health issues and ongoing stress in college students.

As a member of the class of 2023, I have experienced firsthand the overwhelming pressure to succeed during my undergraduate career. While many parents may say they “didn’t know they had to study” while in college or that they “majored in Greek life,” my generation has a hard time relaxing and enjoying our college years. I work two part-time jobs, am an active member of a Greek organization, and maintain a high GPA while being a full-time student.

But this do-it-all-or-fail attitude toward the college experience is not unique to me. The overall pressure for students to overachieve is driving the mental health crisis plaguing students nationwide.

That said, universities have made strides over the past decade around the subject of mental health and the allocation of funds to mental health resources.

In my home state of California, all 10 University of California campuses, all 23 California State University campuses and 78% of community college campuses provide mental health services to students as of 2022. For these public institutions, mental health service funding has increased by a massive 1,451% from $4.5 million for the 2017-18 school year to $65.3 million for the 2021-22 school year.

But even with increased funding, the mental health crisis continues. Universities need to rethink and redevelop their approach to mental health services to better support students both during and after their undergraduate careers.

Counselors at universities have an average caseload of 106 students, according to Penn State’s 2022 Center for Collegiate Mental Health report. This staggering load compares to the 30 clients many private therapists consider a full caseload. This disproportionate number of students in need of available counselors in universities leads to a lack of personalized care and lengthening wait times as demand increases.

This report doesn’t even consider psychiatric care, which continues to lack on campuses compared to the increased prevalence of counseling services. University mental health funding should go to a massive expansion of the number of counselors available. This is the most obvious solution for increasing personalized care and reducing wait times.

Creating partnerships with established counselors and psychiatrists in the communities surrounding colleges and universities can help reduce the number of students assigned to university counselors.

These partnerships would benefit students who battle more severe mental disorders and those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, a major risk factor towards disorders such as anxiety and depression according to a study from the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.

Universities also need to educate and train their faculty and staff so that they can better destigmatize mental health and treatment. This includes identifying the first signs of more severe mental health issues.

Faculty and staff should be able to identify signs of burnout, chronic stress, depression and anxiety in their students. At SMU, the Caring Community Connections program provides a list of distress indicators and allows members of the SMU community to refer students to the program. Once referred, students work with staff to create a supportive action plan and, if needed, get referrals to mental health counseling. Likewise, educational programs such as the JED Foundation’s “You Can Help” training program can be done annually and decrease the stigmatization surrounding treatment.

Not every mental health crisis is obvious. Knowledge about the nuances of at least the most common mental disorders and appropriate ways to reach out to in-need students can help get students pointed toward the treatment they need before symptoms further deteriorate.

Lastly, simple changes in the classroom can create immense relief for students. One example is the surprisingly controversial notion of implementing flexible due dates, as discussed in an article from Slate and Arizona State University.

Those opposed to flexible due dates, as mentioned in the Slate article, worry about a lack of accountability. Where is the learning of time management and responsibility when there are no deadlines to be met? However, flexible due dates put into action are much more structured than the name suggests.

For example, in a current class of mine, my professor has provided three times within a few days of each other during which students can come in and take their final exam. It doesn’t mean that they are encouraged to procrastinate or push off their work. Rather, this provides students who may have multiple final exams on the same day the ability to choose how they handle their workload or finish exams early if their schedule permits.

The work is being done to the same degree, but in a way that gives the power of time management and choice to students, thus decreasing the pressure and stress.

When students are overloaded with stress to the point of severe mental health decline, universities have an obligation to help. Adequate funding is beneficial but not enough. Using those dollars for strategic change can help bring an end to the collegiate mental health crisis.

Peyton Webb, an SMU senior majoring in journalism, graduates Saturday. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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