Population-Based Initiatives in College Mental Health: Students Helping Students to Overcome Obstacles

Abstract

College students' need for mental health care has increased dramatically, leaving campus counseling and mental health centers struggling to meet the demand. This has led to the investigation and development of extra-center, population-based interventions. Student-to-student support programs are but one example. Students themselves are a plentiful, often-untapped resource that extends the reach of mental health services on campus. Student-to-student programs capitalize on students' natural inclination to assist their peers. A brief review of the prevalence and effects of mental disorders in the college population is provided, followed by a broad overview of the range of peer-to-peer programs that can be available on college campuses. Two innovative programs are highlighted: (1) a hospital- and community-based program, the College Mental Health Program (CMHP) at McLean Hospital, and 2) the Student Support Network (SSN) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The subsequent section reviews the literature on peer-to-peer programs for students with serious and persistent mental illness for which there is a small but generally positive body of research. This lack of an empirical basis in college mental health leads the authors to argue for development of broad practice-research networks.

Fostering student mental well‐being through supportive learning communities

“…Recognizing these constraints, some universities have developed peer‐to‐peer mental health support programs, which seek to “capitalize on students' natural inclination to help their peers” (Kirsch et al , 1). As an example, Kirsch et al () discuss the case of a undergraduate who had experienced psychosis and was being assisted in his recovery by other students in his residence hall, who “provided tutoring and study help, monitored his use of alcohol and drugs, assisted with medication adherence, and helped him get to class and appointments” (1).…”

“…Recognizing these constraints, some universities have developed peer‐to‐peer mental health support programs, which seek to “capitalize on students' natural inclination to help their peers” (Kirsch et al , 1). As an example, Kirsch et al () discuss the case of a undergraduate who had experienced psychosis and was being assisted in his recovery by other students in his residence hall, who “provided tutoring and study help, monitored his use of alcohol and drugs, assisted with medication adherence, and helped him get to class and appointments” (1). As students in distress typically turn to their friends for support before seeking professional help, Kirsch et al () suggest that training could be offered to help students to recognize mental distress amongst their peers, and to develop basic psychological support and suicide risk reduction skills.…”

College Mental Health: A Vulnerable Population in an Environment with Systemic Deficiencies

“…As many have pointed out, college students' need for mental health care has increased dramatically, leaving campus counseling and mental health centers struggling to meet the demands [5]. The 2014 National Survey of College Counseling Centers [6] provides some interesting, yet discouraging, data.…”

“…Some of the many possible solutions are presented in the collection of articles on college mental health in this issue of Academic Psychiatry. Others [5] have suggested population-based approaches, such as student-to-student programs that capitalize on students' natural inclination to assist their peers.…”

Preparing and Training the College Mental Health Workforce

“…We refer to this diverse mix of primarily young people as college students and the broad range of services designed to attend to their mental and emotional health as college mental health. College students constitute a growing and critically important population in need of evidencebased mental health services [2].…”