A collaborative approach to student mental health
For many students, making the transition to university can be very challenging and for most students, this transition coincides with a stage of life where mental health issues often first manifest. Early identification of a problem is key to achieving positive health outcomes and supporting student success.
Faculty and staff are often in a position to identify early on those students who may be struggling with emotional and psychological problems. That's the premise behind a panel
being held during Mental Illness Awareness Week next month. Faculty and staff have been invited to engage in a discussion about the need for a collaborative approach to mental illness in support of student success. The Oct. 7 session will feature a general discussion about anxiety and depression and how these can manifest in a student's academic performance. More than 60 people have already signed up to attend the two-hour long discussion.
The goal, said Helen Slade, co-ordinator of student retention services, is to create greater awareness among staff and faculty around the key role they are able to play in supporting students with mental illness. The panel will also focus on responding to mental health-related issues and the campus resources available.
Judy Vorderbrugge, the community health co-ordinator for health and psychiatric services, said a critically important piece of the health promotion work at U of T is bringing communities together to allow for sharing knowledge and capacity building. The panel she has organized also aims to build partnerships that will contribute to a stronger and more easily accessed network of support across the campus for students with mental illness.
"Faculty and staff are frequently the first contact with students so the better their knowledge is of the situations students might face and the resources that are available to them, the better that we are able to direct our students to the supports they may need," said Slade. She said that, in some cases, faculty and staff will consult with her when they're concerned about a student and wondering how to best provide support.
"For many of them it's a first time away from home. Those travelling here find themselves in an environment very different from what they're used to. They're not noticed immediately if they're missing from their classes. They're away from their parents, many for the first time without family. Many are international students having to adapt to a new country and culture," said Sam Minsky, director of the counselling and learning skills services and another panellist. "When a student has severe enough issues around depression or anxiety there are resources and support available and in some cases, accommodations that may be made for the student."
Panellist Victor Likwornik, psychiatrist-in-chief for the university's psychiatric service, said depression, anxiety and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are among the most common mental health problems seen at the service.
"Over the last 10 years, the number of students we see at the service has doubled," he said. "A lot of students have anxiety about social situations, particularly presentations, and some of them can fail a course because of this. Some students choose courses entirely on the basis of being able to avoid presentations. If a TA or professor can identify that anxiety is affecting a student's academic performance early on and refer them to the appropriate resources, it can make a huge difference for the student and their potential to be academically successful."
For more information on mental health services and support visit: www.studentlife.utoronto.ca.