Parents, students need greater awareness of college mental health services

October 3, 2002
Contact:
  • umichnews@umich.edu

ANN ARBOR—With the first semester of college well underway, parents should be cognizant of their student’s mental health as well as services available on campus.

For freshmen trying to cope with the new atmosphere, the first semester can be especially trying, says Carol Mowbray, University of Michigan School of Social Work professor and director of the school’s National Institute of Mental Health-funded research center. Her research focuses on mental health and services that assist students with psychiatric impairments to achieve their educational goals.

“It’s not uncommon to feel psychological distress,” Mowbray said. “Even people without any previous symptoms should know about the services available on campus.”

The stigma associated with mental health remains high so some students may avoid treatment, Mowbray says. She outlines three guiding principles for parents and students to consider:

  • Early identification and intervention improves outcome.
  • Campus-based mental health services should be of high quality, readily available and tailored to college students’ special needs.
  • Continuous care in dealing with psychiatric problems is necessary.

Students with a history of mental illness and their families should be well educated about early warning signs and knowledgeable about how to access campus-based mental health services, she said. “I would say to a student who has a prior history of major depression or anxiety disorder just as I would to a student with any other disorder or illness that can be recurrent: Find out about the services on the campus and how to access them before you are in a crisis,” she said. Mowbray, who is working on a manuscript entitled, “Improving Campus-Based Mental Health Services for Students with Mental Illness,” is available to discuss on-campus mental health issues at cmowbray@umich.eduor (734) 763-6578. For more information about Mowbray, visit http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/Experts/mowbray.html.

Founded in 1921, the U-M School of Social Work is one of the largest schools of social work in the United States. Visit http://www.ssw.umich.edu/.