Dive Brief:
- An assistant professor at Florida Polytechnic University is suing the institution, claiming it did not renew her contract because she criticized an abrupt change in mental health services offered to students, Inside Higher Ed reported.
- Florida Polytechnic recently replaced its sole campus mental health counselor with an on-campus case manager employed by the university and affiliated with the local BayCare Student Assistance program. Christina Drake argued that the change did not adequately address mental health concerns at the new, rural university whose students are largely enrolled in high-stress STEM majors.
- The situation came to a head in August when a Florida Polytechnic student died by suicide, something Drake and others believe could have been prevented if the university had better managed the transition in mental health services. Drake had commented on the institution's mental health services before and after the suicide, and in the lawsuit she claims the lack of renewal was a violation of her First Amendment rights.
Dive Insight:
College administrators are looking to keep costs down any way possible, and trimming staff is a typical solution. Yet when it comes to mental health services, those cuts face scrutiny.
More students on college campuses are affected by mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The trend has been attributed to several factors, including a more competitive admissions process, the pervasiveness of social media technology and rigorous academics, as well as higher rates of depression among parents and the rising cost of college attendance.
The Center for Collegiate Mental Health reported that the number of college students using counseling centers increased 30-40% from 2010 to 2015, although enrollment only grew 5% during that period. Anxiety, depression, relationship problems, stress, family and interpersonal functioning were the top reasons student visited counseling centers. A survey of 63,000 students across 92 U.S. institutions by the American College Health Association found that 40% reported depression so acute they had difficulty functioning.
Some colleges have found that holding forums at which students can discuss mental health issues helps identify problems, improves individual student emotional health and the chances they will seek help, and creates a healthier campus environment. A University of California, Los Angles-led study found a relationship between the level of stigma associated with mental health issues on campus and how likely students are to seek help for suicidal thoughts. Greater stigma meant students were less likely to admit such thoughts, the report found.
Larger colleges are bolstering mental health services in response, Time reported. For instance, Virginia Tech University opened satellite counseling clinics in coffee shops, the graduate student center, the athletic department and other places where students spend time. The Ohio State University added several mental health clinicians during the 2016-17 academic year as well as a mobile counseling app. And Penn State University budgeted an additional $700,000 for counseling services in 2017 due to a significant increase in demand over the previous decade.
And despite the concern about outsourcing such services, other experts have recommended that colleges develop a stronger relationship with mental health providers in their communities.