MentalHealthandCollege,theUltimateOxymoron:

AnIntegratedApproachtoReducingtheStressLevelsofStudentsat
ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity

MichaelGrantGill
CAS138T:RhetoricandCivicLifeII
April11,2016

Collegeisatimeforlearningandpersonalgrowth,butthecollegeexperiencecomesata
pricetothementalhealthofstudentsacrossthenationasmanystruggletobalancetheirlives
betweentheirschoolworkandextracurricularcommitments.Thisaspectofcollegelifeis
accompaniedwiththehardfactthatthesupportsystemmanyincomingfreshmandeveloped
throughouttheirlivestohandlestressathomeisnolongerabletosupportthem.Collegebrings
withitbothfreedomandresponsibilitiesthatcaneventuallyleadtoincreasedlevelsofstress,
1
drivingmanystudentstohavementalhealthissues.
Theseleadtostudentstotakepartin

destructivecopingbehaviors,whichdonotproperlyaddressoralleviatethestressinducedby
2
college.

Thisproblemisbeingaddressedbymanycollegeswithcounselingprogramssuchasthe
3
CounselingandPsychologicalServices(CAPS),whichisaprograminstitutedatPennState.

MaryAnneKnapp,atherapistonCAPSstaffelaboratedontheneedformentalhealthservices
inanarticleby
TheCollegian
,explaining:Itsimportantforstudentstohaveaccessto
counselingservicesbecausecollegeisatimeforhighstressduetoacademicpressures,identity
4
concernsandsocialandrelationshipissues.
Itisimportanttonotethatstressisanormalpartof

collegelife,especiallyduringmidtermsandfinals.Inmoderateamountsstresscanbehealthyfor
youandbecontrolledwellthroughactivitiessuchasphysicalexerciseorutilizingadaily
5
planner.
CAPSisprimarilyareactivesystemanddoesnotaddressissuesthatcouldpotentially

reducestresslevelsofcollegestudentsthroughproactiveeducation.Itisalsocurrentlypoorly
6
funded,creatingashortageofCAPSservicesprovidedoncampus.
Also,ifindividualscannot

recognizementalhealthproblems,theywillnotseekouthelpfromCAPSordirecttheirfriends
towardshelp.Thesnowballeffectthatoccursatcollegesduetoalackofmentalhealtheducation

needstobestoppedviaacomprehensivepreventativeprogram.Thisprogramwouldinclude
educationonmentalhealthissuesandhealthycopingmethodsaswellasincreasedawarenesson
thesubject.Finally,additionalfundingtoCAPSwouldbenecessarytohelpalleviatethe
overloadedCAPSsystemcurrentlyatPennState.
TheMentalHealthCareCrisis
ResearchconductedbytheNationalAllianceonMentalIllness(NAMI)demonstratedthat
thetopmentalhealthchallengesfacingcollegestudentsincludedepression,anxiety,suicide,and
7
eatingdisorders.
Alloftheseproblemsare

directlyrelatedtocollegelifeandthe
8
overarchinghighstressenvironmentofcollege.

ServicesprovidedbyCAPSatPennState
clearlyhelpalleviatetheseproblemsfacing
collegestudentsthroughcounseling,therapy,
andotherconsultationservices.However,most
programslikeCAPSacrossthenationare
underfundedandthereforeunderstaffedforthe
9
servicesdemandedbystudents.
Thisleadsthem

tobelesseffectivethannecessarytoproperly
servicethecollegeandtheirstudentpopulation.Inregardstoactualmentalhealthissuesof
students,accordingtotheCenterforCollegiateMentalHealth(CCMH),aPennStateaffiliated
10
institute,roughly9%ofindividualssurveyedhaveconsideredsuicide.
Thisisconsistentwith

datacollectedbyCAPSregardingPennState,withastudyshowing710%ofPennState

11
studentshavehadsuicidalthoughtswithinthelasttwelvemonthsaccordingtoFigure1.
That

statisticisbetween2,800and4,000studentsatPennStatesUniversityParkcampusalone.The
servicesprovidedviaCAPSreportedlyprovideguaranteedappointmentsorotherservicesforan
12
excessof2,500studentsfor16,000inpersontreatments.
Whilethisisanimpressivefigure

alone,comparedtojustsuicidalthoughtstatistics,thisisclearlynotcombattingtheotherissues
ofmentalhealththatthestudentsareexperiencing.InformationprovidedbyCAPS,shownin
Figure2,showsthatduringanormalsemesteratPennState,CAPScannothandlethedemand

13
forservicessoughtbystudents.
Whiletheseindividualsarereferredtoothercounseling
14
services,thoseservicesappointmentsquicklyfillupaswell.
Tofurtherelaborateonthe

relevanceofthisissueforPennState,thenationaltrendof1in10,000studentscommitting
suicideeachyearisalsoatrendPennStateconsistentlyfollowswithroughly56students
15
passingawayeachyearduetosuicide.

Whilesuicidalthoughtsanddepressionareonlyonementalhealthcrisisfacingcollege
studentstoday,theothersarerelevantandcreateacomplexwebofissuesfordealingwith

mentalhealthissues.Themostcommonlydiagnosedmentaldisorderwithincollegestudentsis
16
anxietyas40%ofstudentswerediagnosedwithanxietywhovisitedCAPS.
Inadditiontothis,

1in3studentsinanationalsurveybytheNationalAllianceonMentalIllnessreported
17
experiencingextendedperiodsofdepression.
Thisreport,seengraphicallyasFigure3,leadsus

intotheissuethat50%ofstudentsenteringcollegedonothaveanybackgroundknowledgeon
18
mentalhealthissues.
Thereforetheymaynotbeabletorecognizethattheycouldbesuffering

fromamentaldisorder.Lookingathistoricinformationfromthe1980stopresent,thestressand
anxietylevelsfacedbycollegestudentstodayismuchworse,followingatrendthatis
19
consistentlyincreasing,meaningthisproblemisnotgoingawaywithoutapropersolution.

Inaddition,ithasbeenobservedthatstudentsregularlyweredriventotakepartin
20
recklessbehaviorduetothesementalhealthissues,astatisticsupportedbymanystudies.
These

copingmethodshavebeenobservedinstudiesandinsomecasesturnouttobeothermental
disorderscommonlyfacedbycollegestudents,suchaseatingdisordersorsubstanceabuseand

21
addiction.
Specificallyalcoholconsumption,eating,druguse,andsmokingaremajoroutlets
22,23
forstressrelief.
Thesebehaviorsarenothealthyandusuallyservetoonlyincreasethestress

andanxietyfeltbystudentsastheydestroytheirmentalandphysicalhealth.Theseactionsarea
shorttermrelieftolongtermproblemsthatcanleadtoadropinastudentsabilitytodoschool
workwell.Itisimportanttonotethatstresscanbehelpfulandisessentialtolearning,butonly
inmoderateamounts.Anoverwhelmingamountofstressisunhealthy,andtheseunhealthy
24
copingmethodswillonlyleadtoanincreaseinstresslevels.

AlongwiththereactivenatureoftheCAPSprogramandalackofservicesprovided,
therearetrendsshowingincreasesindemandformentalhealthhelpasthenumberofanxiety
25
anddepressiondiagnosescontinuestogrow.
ThismeanstheineffectivenessofCAPSwillonly

growiftheseissuesarenotcombattedthroughincreasedservicesandawareness.Inastudydone
bytheNAMI,80%ofcurrentstudentsreportedlyfeeloverwhelmedbytheirresponsibilities,
26
meaningtheirstresslevelsaretoohigh,whichcouldleadtomentalanxietydisorders.
The

stresscausedbycollegeenvironmentsisnotbeingdealtwithinanappropriatemanner.Itshould
bedealtwithinawaythathelpsalleviatestresstomoremoderatelevelsinaproactivemanner.
ThiswouldreducestressontheCAPSsystemandleadtoamoreeducatedstudentbodyatPenn
Stateregardingtheconsequencesofmentalhealthissuesandhowtoproperlycopewithstress.
ThiseducationprogramaccompaniedbyincreasedfundingtoCAPSwouldprovideproper
servicesforstudentsatPennStateandraiseawarenessformentalhealthatPennState.
ComprehensiveSolution
TohelpproperlyalleviatethestresslevelsofincomingfirstyearstudentsatPennState,a
programregardingmentalhealthshouldbeinstitutedatNewStudentOrientation(NSO)and

increasedfundingtowardsCAPSshouldbeprovidedinconjunctionwiththisprogram.This
programwouldincludeinformationalflyersandeasyaccesstoconsolidatedonlineresources.
Thesewouldprovideknowledgeonhealthystressmanagementtechniquesalongwithsome
generalinformationandthewarningsignsofmentalhealthissuesdiscussedabove.
TheOfficeofStudentAffairs,specificallytheStudentOrientationandTransitions
ProgramsunitinconjunctionwithCAPSandHealthWorkswouldbeinchargeofimplementing
thisprogram.ThebudgetbehindthisprogramwouldprimarilyrevolvearoundthefundingCAPS
receivestooperate.Thiswouldbefordevelopinganonlinepresenceforresourcescentrally
locatedtohelpwithstressmanagementhereatUniversityParkandprintingflyerstodistribute
throughouttheschoolyearbyHealthWorksandatNSOtoprovidestudentsgeneralinformation
onwhatresourcesandoptionstheyhavetomaketheircollegecareerasuccess.Therequired
fundstoincreaseCAPSoperatingcapacitywouldcomefromthefundingappropriatedforCAPS
fromthePennStatebudget.Thisincreaseintheoverallbudgetwouldbenecessaryandcould
potentiallyincreasetuition,butisnecessaryandcriticaltosupportthisprogram.
ProgramEffectiveness
Thisprogramwouldprovidestudentswithaknowledgebasisregardingmentalhealth
identificationandhealthycopingstrategiesinthehopethatitwouldreducethementalhealth
issuesfacedbyfutureincomingclassestoPennState.Itwouldproactivelyteachstudentsand
othersinterestedhowtomanagetheirstress,maintaintheiroverallmentalhealth,andrecognize
warningsignsfriendsmightdisplayofadisorderbeforesomethingseriousoccurs.Theeducation
levelofstudentsonmentalhealthtopicswasobservedinthestudybytheNationalAllianceon
MentalIllnesswhichshowedthatonly50%ofcollegestudentsreceivedaneducationonmental

27
healthbeforecollege.
Thisclearlyestablishesthataneducationalprogramwouldimprovethis

statisticatPennState,meaningtheywouldbemorelikelytorecognizeanissuetheymightbe
havingduetotheproactiveeducation.Anincreaseinknowledgeonstressmanagementand
programsofferedbyPennStatetodestresswouldmeanthatstudentswouldbemorelikelyto
participateintheseactivitiestoreducetheirstresslevels.
Reactivemethodscombattingmentalhealthissuessuchascounselingandtherapy
providedbyCAPSwouldshowanincreaseinservicesprovidedthroughanoverallincreasein
staffing.Thiswouldcostalargeamountofmoneytobeeffective.Itisestimatedtorequire
28
$300,000annuallytoimplementaneffectiveprogramaccordingtoastudybyCCMH.

However,sincetheneedforservicesdiscussedabovealreadyfarsurpassesthesupplyofservices
29
provided,thisincreaseinfundingwouldgreatlyalleviatetheshortage.
Anotherinteresting

reasonwhythiswilleffectivelyreducestressatPennStateliesinstudentsknowingthatPenn
StateCAPScanhandleallthecasesbroughttothem.Thiswouldcomfortstudentswiththe
knowledgethattheycanrelyontheiruniversitytohelpthemwiththeirproblems.Thisdiffers
fromthecurrentstigmabehindCAPSasaprogramatcapacityandnotreadilyavailableto
30
students.
Overall,thisincreaseinstaffingandneweducationalprogramwouldallowforamore

informedstudentpopulationtoproperlytakecareoftheirmentalhealthandimproveawareness
onthetopicinawaythatiscomprehensiveanddesperatelyneededhereatPennState.
AdvantagesofApproach
Astheeducationprogramisputintoeffect,thereareclearbenefitstotheprogramthat
transcendmentalhealth.TheprogramcouldreducethedemandCAPSprogramisfacingas
studentswouldbemoreversedinmethodstoproactivelyaddresshighstresslevelsandletthem

morecloselymonitortheirmentalhealth.Concurrently,stressandothermentalhealthproblems
oftenleadtophysicalillnesses.Ifstresslevelsarereducedthroughtheimplementationofthis
program,thephysicalhealthofstudentsatPennStatewouldalsoincreaseduetothecorrelation
31
ofmentalandphysicalhealth.
ThiswouldmeanadecreaseintheneedforUniversityHealth

Serviceswhichhasasimilarshortageofservices.Fundamentally,stressalsoaffectsstudents
32
grades.
Adecreaseinstresslevelswouldmeanthatstudentsgradeswouldincreaseand

improveduetothiscorrelation.Theschoolwouldalsobeanexampleforotherlargeandsmall
universitiestofollow,asPennStatecouldraiseawarenessformentalhealthproblemsthataffect
collegestudentsandcreateacampaignonbehalfofthoseaffectedheavilybystressandmental
illnesses.TheseadvantagesallprovidesupportforwhythisprogramwouldbehelpfulatPenn
Stateandarestrongreasonswhyitshouldbeimplemented.
DisadvantagesofApproach
Whilethisprogramwouldhelptoimprovethestateofthementalhealthcrisisincollege,
atPennState,therearedisadvantagestotheprogramthatlingerandareimpossibletoavoid.Itis
possiblethatbyeducatingstudentsonhowtorecognizementalhealthproblems,theremay
actuallybeanincreaseinthedemandforservicesprovidedbyCAPS.However,thisis
somethingthatmaynotactuallyhappenastheactualpercentageofstudentswhosufferfroma
mentalhealthdisorderisnotgoingtochange,onlytherecognizedcases.Thisisactuallya
positiveoutcome,asthismeansmoreeffectiveoutreachandanoverallimprovementinthe
mentalhealthofstudents.Additionally,theprograminstitutedatNSOwillnothelpcurrent
studentswhichisanissue.However,thisinformationwouldstillbeavailabletocurrentstudents
throughflyersdistributedbyHealthWorksandtheonlineresourceswouldalwaysbeavailable.

Also,theincreaseinCAPSstaffingwouldimmediatelyimprovetheconditionsforcurrent
students.Onelongtermproblemthisplanbringsisthatitwillbehardtotelliftheproactive
informationprogramiseffectiveuntillongtermdataiscollectedandanalyzedandeventhen,the
fundingchangesthataccompanythisprogramcouldskewthedata.However,PennStateis
meanttoeducateitsstudentsandbroadentheirhorizonsinawaythatismeanttopreparethem
fortherestoftheirlives.Thisinformationonmentalhealthissuesandcopingmethodscould
onlyhelpthemandwouldpositivelyhelpthemfortherestoftheirlives.
Thefinalmajorproblemwiththisplanisthefundingasthefundsmaybehardtofind
initially.PennStatecouldpotentiallyberequiredtoincreasetuitionatanabnormallyhighrate
duetothisincreaseindemandonPennStatesbudgetinregardtoallocationsforCAPS.
However,duetoanincreaseintheawarenessofmentalhealthproblemsacrossthenationfor
collegestudentsandinparticularhereatPennState,personnelandgroupdonationshavestarted
tohelpfundCAPSandhopefullywillleadtoanincreaseinservicesprovidedbytheprogram.
TwoparticularexamplesincludetheClassof2016classgifttotheuniversityforCAPSandtwo
employeesoftheuniversitysupportingCAPSthroughtheirphilanthropybydonating$50,000
33
towardsCAPSfunding.
ThesegiftsarespecificallyfortheCAPSserviceshereatPennState

andwilldrawawarenessfortheobviouscurrentpitfallsoftheCAPSprogramhereatPennState.
Therefore,thesegiftscouldpotentiallyleadtoamuchsmallerbudgetappropriationneededfor
CAPSfromtheoverallPennStatebudget.
RemarksandImpactPrediction
Analysisofthementalhealthcrisisacrosscollegecampusesshowthatthereisaclear
needforachangeinthesystemcurrentlyimplementedatPennStatethatisusedtodealwith


10

mentalhealthproblems.Stresslevelsareknowntobehighincollege,butstressthatcannotbe
moderatedisunhealthyandcanleadtomanyhealthproblems,bothphysicallyandmentally.
ThisleadstostressonthementalhealthcaresystemprovidedbyCAPSasthedemandgreatly
outweighsthesupplyofservicesabletobeprovidedbythecurrentstaff.Theproposededucation
programinthisplanwouldbeimplementedtohopefullyserveasawaytounderminethestigma
behindthehighstressenvironmentofcollege.Thiswouldgiveamuchclearerimageofthe
problemstudentscurrentlyfaceinaholisticmannerthataddressesmentalhealth
comprehensively.Itwouldclarifytheproblemidentifiedandbethefirststepstowardssolving
theproblem.
Itisnotpossibletoremoveallexcessstressandmentalhealthproblemsfromcollegelife.
Despitethat,thisprogramwouldmakestridestohelpalleviatethesementalhealthproblems
acrossthestudentbodyhereatPennStateandwouldhopefullyleadtoanoverallhealthier
collegecampus.Thefundingbehindthisprogrammaybedifficulttofindatfirst,butwithproper
awarenessacrossthenationandwithouralumni,philanthropyandgenerositywouldleadtoan
increaseinoutsidefundingtoCAPS,leadingtoastrongerprogramthatcanprovideservicestoa
muchlargergroupofstudentswhorequesttoseeacounselorortherapist.Thistwofaceted
programwouldthereforeleadtoacomprehensiveservicethatwouldeducatestudentsonthe
issueofmentalhealthandincreasetheawarenessforthesubject,eventuallyleadingtoupdated
andeffectiveservicesprovidedbyCAPS.


11

Endnotes

1. TheTopMentalHealthChallengesFacingStudents,
BestColleges,
accessedApril7,
2016,
http://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/top5mentalhealthproblemsfacingcollegestu
dents/.

2. RitaLandino,TheStressedOutCollegeStudent,
PsychCentral
,lastmodifiedJanuary
2015,
http://psychcentral.com/lib/thestressedoutcollegestudent/.

3. CounselingandPsychologicalServices,
StudentAffairs@PennState,
accessedApril
04,2016,
http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/.

4. MindySzkaradnik,CAPSstrugglingtoassiststudentsduetolimitedspaceandlimited
financialresources,
DailyCollegian
,lastmodifiedNovember15,2013,
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/article_e8b10dc84d9411e3b5c1001a4bcf
6878.html.

5. RitaLandino,TheStressedOutCollegeStudent,
PsychCentral
.
6. MindySzkaradnik,CAPSstrugglingtoassiststudentsduetolimitedspaceandlimited
financialresources,
DailyCollegian
.
7. TheTopMentalHealthChallengesFacingStudents,
BestColleges.

8. MindySzkaradnik,CAPSstrugglingtoassiststudentsduetolimitedspaceandlimited
financialresources,
DailyCollegian
.
9. AllyHolterman,MentalHealthProblemsForCollegeStudentsAreIncreasing,
healthline
,lastmodifiedJuly17,2015,
http://www.healthline.com/healthnews/mentalhealthproblemsforcollegestudentsare
increasing071715.

10. CenterforCollegiateMentalHealth,2013AnnualReport,p.12,
http://ccmh.psu.edu/wpcontent/uploads/sites/3058/2014/05/2013_CCMH_Report1.pdf,
accessedApril2016.

11. JessicaTully,SuicidalthoughtsnotuncommonatPennState,
DailyCollegian
,last
modifiedApril13,2012,
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archives/article_43877b0f8a725cdc83a36cd1ff53fc17.h
tml.

12. StudentsinDistress,
StudentAffairs@PennState,
accessedApril04,2016,
https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/distress/workshop/overview_stats.html.


12

13. MindySzkaradnik,CAPSstrugglingtoassiststudentsduetolimitedspaceandlimited
financialresources,
DailyCollegian
.
14. MindySzkaradnik,CAPSstrugglingtoassiststudentsduetolimitedspaceandlimited
financialresources,
DailyCollegian
.
15. JessicaTully,StudentDeathRatesGoUnnoticed,
OnwardState
,lastmodified
September24,2013,
http://onwardstate.com/2013/09/24/studentdeathratesgounnoticed/.

16. StudentsinDistress,
StudentAffairs@PennState,
accessedApril04,2016,
https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/distress/workshop/overview_stats.html.

17. GreggHenriques,TheCollegeStudentMentalHealthCrisis,
PsychologyToday
(blog),
February15,2014,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theoryknowledge/201402/thecollegestudentm
entalhealthcrisis.

18. Ibid.

19. Ibid.

20. Ibid.

21. StudentsinDistress,
StudentAffairs@PennState.

22. Ibid.

23. RitaLandino,TheStressedOutCollegeStudent,
PsychCentral
.
24. JatturongR.Wichianson,StephanieA.Bughi,JenniferB.Unger,DonnaSpruijtMetz
andSelenaT.NguyenRodriguez,PerceivedStress,copingandnighteatingincollege
students,
WileyInterScience25
,no.1(2009):813822,doi:10.1002/smi.1242.
25. RitaLandino,TheStressedOutCollegeStudent,
PsychCentral
.
26. JanHoffman,AnxiousStudentsStrainCollegeMentalHealthCenters,
TheNewYork
Times
(blog),May27,2015(12:07p.m.),
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/anxiousstudentsstraincollegementalhealth
centers/?_r=0.

27. TheTopMentalHealthChallengesFacingStudents,
BestColleges.

28. CenterforCollegiateMentalHealth,2013AnnualReport.


13

29. GreggHenriques,TheCollegeStudentMentalHealthCrisis,
PsychologyToday
(blog).
30. MindySzkaradnik,CAPSstrugglingtoassiststudentsduetolimitedspaceandlimited
financialresources,
DailyCollegian
.
31. Stresssymptoms:Effectsonyourbodyandbehavior,
MayoClinic
,lastmodifiedJuly
19,2013,
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthylifestyle/stressmanagement/indepth/stresssymptom
s/art20050987.

32. Stress,
NewYorkUniversity,
accessedApril08,2016,
https://www.nyu.edu/life/safetyhealthwellness/livewellnyu/priorityareas/stress.html.

33. Classof2016supportsfellowstudentswithenduringgifttoCAPS,
PennsylvaniaState
University
,lastmodifiedOctober29,2015,
http://news.psu.edu/story/375232/2015/10/14/campuslife/class2016supportsfellowstu
dentsenduringgiftcaps.

ShannonFox,PennStateEmployeesDonate$50,000TowardsCAPSFunding,
OnwardState
,lastmodifiedFebruary25,2016,
http://onwardstate.com/2016/02/25/pennstateemployeesdonate50000towardcapsfun
ding/.