Laurie-Anne King says many students suffer from depression or other mental health issues in silence.
She knows because she was one of them.
King, a Richard Ivey School of Business graduate who now lectures at the school, spoke up about the importance of professors opening dialogue with students about mental health during the Fall Perspectives on Teaching conference Sept. 1.
“My biggest breakthrough was when I started talking about it,” says King, who as a spectator decided to share her own experience with the audience of The University of Western Ontario educators and student support service providers. She told of a six-month period during her time at Western when she dropped a significant amount of weight, which she later learned was a symptom of her depression.
“I thought, ‘No. Not me,” she says.
Students are accomplished at projecting a tough exterior that disguises how they are feeling, making it difficult for friends or family – let alone professors – to recognize something is wrong, she says.
Mental health issues are not new to Western’s campus. The growing number of students living with mental health issues and the increasing severity of these issues has been a growing concern for faculty and staff. The need to raise awareness was punctuated last October following an incident involving a student and campus and London police.
On Oct. 14, 2009, a 22-year-old student, who appeared disoriented, confronted individuals in the Social Science Centre, barricaded himself in an office and escaped when campus police tried to detain him. A video of campus and London police officers restraining the student was posted on YouTube and attracted widespread attention. The charges against the student were stayed by a judge who accepted a plan for the student to take part in a mental health diversion program.
In light of that incident, the fall teaching conference provided a unique opportunity for faculty and staff to discuss concerns and share best practices with another university and other units at Western.
“Instructors are part of the first line of defence,” says Mike Atkinson, associate professor in psychology, who participated in a panel discussion during the plenary session. “Are we trained to handle it? No. Do we have to do something about it? I don’t have any other choice.”
Evidence of mental health issues are increasing on campus, seen in the number of students using counseling services at Western, says Gail Hutchinson, director of the Student Development Centre.
Many mental health issues begin to surface when a person is in their late teens – the same time they are beginning university, she says. But the limited number of resources in the community makes referrals and ongoing treatment more difficult.
Conference keynote speaker Dr. Richard Kadison, Harvard University Health Services mental health service chief, spoke about the increasing number of students with serious mental health problems on campuses and the challenges facing faculty and staff in supporting these students. His well-attended talk, “College of the Overwhelmed: Mental Health on Campus 2010,” painted a familiar picture of the need to increase resources and reduce the stigma around the issue.
Faculty and staff alike wondered how far they need to go in identifying or caring for students with mental health issues. This is not easy to answer.
“Listening is probably the most therapeutic thing we can do,” says Kadison, noting it is no longer acceptable to ignore the issue. “We need to offer support, but also find the limits of that support. Don’t worry alone. If something is going on and you are concerned about a student … consult with other parties who might be involved or can offer support.”
Kadison recommends faculty and staff become familiar with local support services and speak with others, such as residence staff, psychological services and campus police, to determine how to deal with the situation. “We are all responsible. We need to figure out how to co-ordinate care for students,” says Kadison, noting the importance of incorporating cultural sensitivity.
Part of reducing the stigma around mental health is reinforcing the fact that getting help is a strength, not a weakness, he reiterates. “The biggest risk factor for students is feeling isolated,” he says. “When students are in distress, they need to be seen now.”
An increasing number of students coming to university already take medication for mental health issues. Pressures of the university environment, combined with family and friend expectations and a personal desire to succeed can lead to the onset of mental health issues.
Lack of sleep can also be a contributing factor, Kadison adds. While most students require 7-10 hours of sleep, the majority is getting less than six hours of shut-eye. For bipolar disorders, one of the biggest triggers for mania is lack of sleep. Other issues students are facing are binge drinking, violence on campus, and dealing with grief or loss – all of which can affect mental health.
After a student has been hospitalized, there must be a system in place for screening them to assess their readiness to return to school, Kadison notes. “You need to have an internal review process so they are not bouncing in and out because it is not good for them or the university.”
Encouraging students to face mental health issues head-on will significantly influence their academic success.
“Students rarely want to take time off, but sometimes they need to,” says Kadison. “Students who use counseling services are more likely to stay in school.”