Giving help to the mentally ill

Mark Salzer

directs a federally funded center on community integration at the University

of Pennsylvania and is a researcher

at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Some college students avoid seeking help because they don't want people to know they have a mental illness, especially in an environment in which mental illness is equated with danger. Unfortunately, last spring's Virginia Tech shootings, and how colleges are responding, may make students even less likely to reach out.

Students also fear that, if they do seek help, university personnel may advise them to take a leave of absence to get treatment, or expel them and make it difficult for them to return, which does happen.

For many students with and without mental illnesses, school is their life. A 1997 study, known as the Big Ten Student Suicide Study, found that college students were half as likely to commit suicide as people of similar ages who were not in school. Requiring or encouraging students with mental illnesses to leave school puts promising futures on hold - sometimes forever.

It would be better for students, their families and their schools to provide the support and early interventions needed to help students with mental illnesses remain in school.

On Aug. 22, Virginia Tech published recommendations for enhancing campus security and dealing with students with complex emotional problems, suggesting such interventions as a "Threat Assessment Team." Although the recommendations were largely targeted toward school officials and teachers, the report did suggest a lot that students can do to build a "supportive community . . . [that] works toward the acceptance of others' differences [and] strives to include."

Showing that someone cares is a way for students to fill the gap in support. Such caring is crucial: A study we did suggests that students with mental illnesses feel more alienated from the college environment than other students. They say they would like more support; but, other than therapy from counseling departments, there really isn't much for them. A helping hand from their peers might make all the difference.

Colleges and universities can increase the availability of noncoerced treatment, such as having someone help identify problems early - like skipping classes or failing to complete assignments. Such early intervention could help ill students negotiate accommodations with the university and instructors.

Campus resource centers like those for students who are members of racial, ethnic or sexual-orientation minorities might be established for students with mental illnesses. Students might also be given the option to include their parents as key supports when they are in crisis.

One excellent option is Active Minds on Campus, a student-run mental-health education and advocacy organization founded by a student at the University of Pennsylvania, with chapters on some 65 campuses. Active Minds has raised awareness of mental-health issues and advocated for increased funding for support. These groups are also helping friends of students with mental illnesses.

Any student who acts in a violent or threatening manner should be dealt with immediately and vigorously, but incorrectly linking mental illness to violence only increases stigma and isolation, and potentially prevents college students with mental illnesses from receiving needed support and leading successful lives.

Serious violence is the rare exception among people with psychiatric disorders; students with mental illnesses are vastly more likely to harm themselves than others. Colleges should find a way to help them.