Supporting Mental Health for Students

A call to action for universities and colleges.

Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D.

Key points

• College students need mental halth support.
• Colleges and universities are valuable resources for such support.
• Teaching teens and young adults about emotional health is key.

Co-written by Dan Simons and Julie Baron.

The current playbook of academic institutions striving to provide mental health support for students is not working. While many campuses have funded additional mental health care through their counseling centers, not enough is being done to reach students more comprehensively. Instead, or really in addition, academic institutions should play to their strength — affecting students in the classroom. This is where topics and discussions about mental health can be brought out from the shadows and normalized.

Parents and other caring adults have worked hard at setting teens up for success and still hear the worrisome pronouncements from college students:

• Why do I feel like this? I hate this.
• I’m in shambles right now.
• I’m not making new friends.
• This place isn’t for me.
• I hate it here.
• This is all just too much.
• I feel so lost.

Social media threads on the parent pages of hundreds of institutions with thousands of posts and comments of worried parents are pleading:

• My kid has been at college for a few weeks and is really struggling. This is so hard. Any advice?

According to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment, 36% of college students (and almost 60% of gender nonconforming and trans-identifying students) reported being diagnosed with anxiety, and 28% report being diagnosed with depression, which does not include the additional reports of students suffering with other mental health disorders.[1] There is an even wider subset who have no formal mental health diagnosis yet suffer in silence without seeking support. These vulnerabilities create an increased propensity for problems on college campuses, such as substance overuse, sexual assault, and academic challenges affecting graduation rate. Without needed mental health education and support, those most vulnerable and desperate are also at risk for suicidal thoughts, behavior, or attempts. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teens and young adults, ages 10-34.[2]

These statistics are alarming and underscore the pressing need for proactive measures on college campuses. Though some institutions have existing “freshman seminar” courses, the education on mental health and wellness seems minimal to non-existent. Education on mental health, along with social connection offered in a group classroom setting, and additional mental health supports and resources, could greatly benefit students. They could:

1. broaden understanding of self and others;
2. increase empathy;
3. decrease isolation; and
4. offer a space for needed expression.

Every first-year student could benefit from taking a course that incorporates these concepts and experiences. Normalizing transition-related stress, knowing they are not alone, and learning what to do or how to help others if concerns about a more serious mental health condition arise can offer comfort, ease stress, and may even save lives. These classes would benefit from integrating small group processing, open communication, and a space for sharing experiences. Schools could call it something like, “Freshman Psych in the Mirror 101,” or "Coping With College."

Many colleges and universities have made efforts to scale up their mental health resources and study ways to implement more comprehensive mental health supports into the school cultures. These efforts are important and should continue, adjacent to initiatives to shatter the taboo that mental health cannot be talked about in an academic classroom setting. Many universities have both undergraduate and graduate departments of education, social work, and psychology with experts “in house,” who could be valuable in the research, design, and implementation of such a course. Failing to invest in leveraging the classroom experience to normalize mental health conversations and facilitate understanding of self and others, is fiscally and strategically short-sighted.

Let’s expand the topic of mental health beyond the silos of Student Services and get it into the classroom where it can become part of common discourse. Such a course has the power to offer strategic, actionable support, allow for bonds to form, and send our students back into the hallways and dorms with a chance at thinking, “Oh, I’m not the only one that feels this way!” Offering an opportunity for all incoming first-year students to learn about and practice managing hard emotions and experiences together can help everyone, with added benefits for those who may be struggling more than others. With the endorsement of the school and support from faculty, graduate students, or other student leaders to guide important learning, the message in the college culture would be clear: “We value the mental health and personal growth of our students, and we can learn together that struggling is normal.”

A special thank you to Dan Simons, Founder and Co-Owner of Founding Farmers Restaurant Group for partnering on this important message.

If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7 dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.