There are 46,416 students attending IU. More than 25 percent of college students have been diagnosed or treated by a professional for a mental health condition within the past year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. At IU, there are a total of 21 professionals working for Counseling and Psychological Services.
Out of those 21 individuals, there are 17 therapists, two psychiatrists and two sexual assault counselors. If the CAPS’ professional faculty equally treated 25 percent of IU’s student population, each professional would be responsible for helping 552 students whose mental health may be affected. And as the two sexual assault counselors likely only work with cases involving sexual assault, that would put more students off on the remaining 19 officials. The ?apparent lack of funding and help for individuals potentially in need of a mental health program at IU isn’t something that’s well known or even talked about on campus.
I’ve slowly realized these services are necessary and should be more attainable on campus. One example: A colleague of mine attempted to reach out to CAPS this semester and was informed he couldn’t get an appointment for at least two to three weeks.
College is a pivotal time in our lives. We arrive as naive freshmen who are nervous yet excited about this new chapter. There’s no longer a curfew, and your mom isn’t yelling at you to clean your room.
You are finally free. But at the same time, you are newly alone. According to NAMI, “one in four young adults ?between the ages of 18 and 24 have a diagnosable mental illness.” This startling fact is widely unknown at IU, and I think it’s time we realize this is an issue.
The first step in this process is IU’s administration recognizing the serious lack of staff and funding in our mental health program.
The second step would be to reach out to donors and alumni and ask them to donate. Unlike re-doing the perfectly fine arboretum, updating and expanding our mental health programs will better the lives of the students in need of these services.
Not only will it directly influence those who may suffer from a mental illness, it will affect those who surround themselves with these ?individuals.
Sometimes it’s hard to seek out help and confide in a friend you’ve only known for a short period of time at college. By having these programs in place, and multiple alleys to go down for help, people who find themselves in need of psychological support can quickly and easily get ?assistance.
In IU-Bloomington’s mission statement, it says our campus has a commitment to ensure “meaningful experiences outside the classroom.”
In order to guarantee these meaningful experiences, our administration needs to create a better way for students with a mental health concern to easily access IU’s mental health resources in a timely and cost-effective manner.
jlkarl@indiana.edu
