208

Learning Objective #1: 1.) identify some of the common mental health problems and issues found in college students today.

Learning Objective #2: 2.) identify the role that psychiatric/mental health nursing faculty can take to provide education, advocacy and support to students with mental health problems.

---

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Addressing Mental Health Needs of College Students

 

     The mental health needs of college students appear to be increasing in number and severity according to recent surveys.   In addition, most colleges and universities are struggling with containing costs, leading to a limitation in the amount of counseling staff and services that can be provided to students.  The author along with an interdisciplinary team of social work, psychology, nursing students and a faculty member of the Psychology Department are currently engaged in administering a comprehensive college campus suicide prevention program at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.  The suicide prevention program is supported through grant funding by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  In addition to the grant activities related to campus suicide prevention, the author and the interdisciplinary group are involved in a NAMI-on-Campus (National Alliance on Mental Illness) group- the first to be established on a college campus in Pennsylvania.  The activities of the NAMI group and the suicide prevention program are directed at providing education, support, and advocacy for students with mental health problems.  The projects are designed to support and strengthen existing services on the campus.

     Most of the presentation will be directed at a discussion of the components of a comprehensive suicide prevention program for a college campus and the methods that are being used at Bloomsburg University to plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of our prevention activities.  In addition, the author will discuss how and why she, as a mental health nursing faculty member, decided to become involved with the NAMI-on-Campus group and the Campus Suicide Prevention grant and program.  The types of educational programs and evaluation activities that are being used to gauge the effectiveness of the suicide prevention activities will be discussed.