More 'U' Students Seeking Mental Health Treatment
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The number of University of Minnesota students seeking treatment for mental health issues continues to rise.
Boynton Health Services reports they've seen a 21 percent increase during a recent six-week span (Sept. 5 – Oct. 13) when compared to the same time last year. That's on top of a more than 20 percent jump they saw in 2016 from 2015, according to Dr. Gary Christenson, chief medical officer at Boynton.
He said it's possible more students simply have mental health issues, but he undoubtedly feels it's not the only reason more students are seeking help.
"It makes sense because the University has taken a very comprehensive approach to mental health," he said.
He said the university has created programs to end the stigma associated with talking about mental health issues, which has encouraged student to talk about their problems.
"We are educating staff, faculty and students to recognize students that might be in distress to assist them to get to resources," he said.
Awareness campaigns were also started to make sure people know about the services offered around campus, specifically at the newly-renovated mental health clinic at Boynton that opened last spring.
Dr. Christenson said the yearly increases in patient need caused them to outgrow their original clinic on Boynton's fourth floor. The new clinic, which works in conjunction with the original, offers more space for private and group therapy rooms.
He said four additional therapists and a prescriber were hired to also accommodate the rising numbers. To put things in perspective, Dr. Christenson said Boynton now has more staff related to mental health than primary care.
"Clearly mental health has become the No. 1 public health issue on our campus and that is now reflected in the way we're growing in hiring new staff," he said.
When talking with students about mental health issues on campus, the topic didn't feel taboo.
"I mean we've had a few close calls in our family," said freshman Steven Misselt. "But because of things like they're doing (at Boynton), they've just been close calls."
Misselt and several others said the common stresses of classes, tests, tuition and rent can tax their mental well-being. For them, the idea of having someone ready to talk them through their problems is reassuring.
"I think having more counselors and even publicly speaking about (mental health), encouraging people who are stressing out about something to approach them and talk to them and just let it all out, I think that would be really helpful," said senior Ahmed Elshemekh, who admitted to battling depression his sophomore year.
Dr. Christenson said some stress is good for the mind and development. He said it teaches people how to overcome issues
"It's when it becomes difficult for them to manage that we start seeing students really struggling, and that's usually when they'll need our resources. That being said though, we know that stress and anxiety is the No. 1 kind of mental health challenge that students are experiencing," he said.
Outside of meeting a therapist in person, the university offers a 24/7 hotline at (612) 625-7900. An online resource called "Learn to Live" started this year, allowing students to log-on and access therapy modules to get services such as cognitive behavioral therapy.
