The number of mental illness cases on college campuses has been on the rise in the past 10 years, according to an article in Psychiatric News.
The Student Health Center and Counseling Center both have services to address these problems in students.
Senior Information Specialist Pam Roe said the Student Health Center has four psychiatrists and four psychologists on staff. The health fee paid by students taking more than six hours covers four visits.
“They are full on a regular basis.” Roe said. “People know about it. They are using the services.”
The busy schedule is due to 7,000 total mental health visits in the 2009-10 fiscal year, according to numbers provided by Roe in an e-mail. The 2,000 unique visits represent about 6 percent of the more than 31,000 enrolled students.
The MU Counseling Center also treats students’ psychiatric needs.
“We probably only see a fraction of the students on campus that need help, but for the students that do seek that kind of assistance, we provide a great service,” Program and Outreach Coordinator Christy Hutton said.
The counseling center saw 963 students in the 2009-10 fiscal year and reached about 16 percent of the student body through outreach activities, Hutton said in an e-mail.
The survey results from the Student Health Center showed most students respond positively with student satisfaction of mental health services at 97 percent, Roe said in an e-mail.
“Counseling is not a magic bullet where you walk in through the doors and are suddenly blissful, but I definitely see an improvement in people who learn to deal with whatever they’re facing,” Hutton said.
The Student Health Center also employs a mental health nurse practitioner and two psychology post docs and is capable of prescribing prescription medication, Roe said.
“Since we have both psychologists and psychiatrists, it seems like we would cover the full range of services that students need,” Roe said.
Besides the actual sessions with a doctor, the Counseling Center has group sessions, does programming and consultations all over campus, and has crisis services for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or a psychotic break, Hutton said.
“We actually offer a pretty broad range of services, and I’m not sure that students are aware of everything we do,” Hutton said.
In regards to the general mental health of MU, Hutton seemed confident.
“I think it’s consistent with people in general,” Hutton said. “There’s a great deal of stigma around getting help in general and with counseling. I don’t think it’s a big problem, just part of our society.”
Hutton said the Counseling Center was in the process of planning a series of health wellness and mental health stigma activities later this week that are unlike those implemented before at MU or other universities.