Mental Health Crisis on CampusMichael Dabrowski

Leeann Waddington

Context and Evidence of the Issue

“If your son or daughter is in college chances are almost one in two that he or she will become depressed to the point of being unable to function; one in two that he or she will have regular episodes of binge drinking; and one in 10 that he or she will seriously consider suicide”

(Kadison & Digeronimo, 2004)

Prevalence of mental illness in Education

• 15% and 25 % of our children and youth suffer at least one mental health problem or illness (Mental Health Commission of Canada)

• 20% of adolescents have a mental disorder in the U.S. (Anderson & Cardoza, 2016; Kataoka, Zhang & Wells, 2001)

• 38% Mental illnesses often develop during adolescence and young adulthood (Canada Public Health) 50% of lifetime disorders start by age 14 (Kessler et. al., 2005)

• Ryerson University 200 % increase in demand from students in crisis situations (MacLean, 2012)

• "Students Are Exposing The University Of Guelph For Abandoning Students Dealing With Mental Health Issues" (Aonso, 2019)

• 2011 U of A 51% of students surveyed (N=1600) had felt hopeless or overwhelming anxiety in the past year

A variety of mental health challenges -acute and chronic

Mood disordersDepression – 11% of those 18>

bipolar

Eating disordersBulimia

Anorexia

Other disordersAnxiety disorders

Personality disorders

Schizophrenia

Mental illness is just the tip of the iceberg

• "Some students will experience mental health difficulties that are not necessarily symptoms of a mental illness. Mental health issues or problems are reactions to life circumstances or events that have an impact on an individual"

• Symptoms include: common struggles and difficulties by feeling stressed, upset, confused or overwhelmed

• Mental illness and mental health issues impact the ability to learn, maintain relationships and enjoy life.

(Education Alberta)

Impacts on Learning

Is Education the problem or the

solution?

Oppositional Forces

The more educated a person is, the lower their incidence of mental health issues and higher use of support resources.( Alegria et al., 2000; Dohwenrend, 1990; Starkes et al. 2005; Steele, Glazier, & Lin, 2006; Steele, Dewa, Lin, & Lee, 2007; Valiadis et al. 2005; Wang, Berglund, & Kessler, 2000).

The challenges of education and young adulthood may contribute to the incidence of mental health issues and the limitation of education.(Kadison & Digeronimo, 2004; Lopes, 2007; Mallett, 2014)

A case for exploration

A BC institution

• 10,000 Student FTE, multi campus

• 1200 faculty

• Vision GOAL 1 & 2

Facilities, resources and supports to promote wellbeing of students and employees

Assessing the situationLearning center and accommodation services

Financial aid, student foodbank, coop employment

Recreation programs, fitness facilities/classes

Career Services, academic advising

Early alert

Counselling for faculty and students

Learning struggles

Finances

Physical wellness

Career decision

Academic Challenges

Mental Health

(stress, anxiety, depression)

Missing elementsStudent awareness campaigns, culture that decreases stigma.Faculty instructional strategies, recognition of students who

are struggling.

Roadmap for success – education can help

Developing social support• Reduce stigma

• Education on coping strategies

• Support groups

Innovative Education Strategies

Institutional strategy Instructional design/delivery model

Resources for students Resources for faculty

It's all in the balance

(Working Together to Support Mental Health in Alberta Schools., 2017)

Educators have mental issues as well

Educators are the front line in diagnosing and mitigating mental health issues, and LMS and other online systems provide a method for delivery of resources.(Di Placito-De Rango, 2017, 2018)

We need to manage the educator mental crisis.(Department for children, schools and families, 2008; Grant Rankin, 2016; Hougan, 2018; Shaw & Ward, 2014; Single, 2017; Teacher, 2017; Tsipursky, 2015; Worth & Van den Brande, 2019) to effectively service the student mental crisis. (“Education team to tackle increasing mental health problems,” 2019)

If administration takes care of the educators, then they will be in a position to help the student, just piling on another task is not going to be helpful. Educators already feel overwhelmed (Worth & Van den Brande, 2019).

Supporting Faculty

• EAP programs

• Recognizing personal challenges

• Work life balance

Help yourself before others!

Distributed Education to the rescue

How ODL can help

Benefits to student wellbeing

• Accessibility

• Flexibility

• Open pedagogy

• Self directedness

• UDL

• Community

What do you see as limitations of ODL in this context ?The only thing that we can think of is the lack of immediate personal connection.

Faculty tools to support students

• Mental Health First Aid for Educators

• Dealing with mental health: a guide for professors

• How academics can help ensure students’ wellbeing

• Reports of mental health issues rising among postsecondary students: study

• https://healthycampuses.ca/

Instructional Strategies

Institutional supports

• Campus initiatives

• Mental health services

• Accommodation

• Wellness programs

• Faculty course design assistance

Leadership Approach –key elements

Inclusive or collaborative

Culture shifting

non judgmental

Self aware and emotionally intelligent

Supports for Relational

Leadership

• Daily relational and responsive dialogue of leaders, leads to morally responsible leadership (Cunliffe & Eriksen, 2011)

• It is about noticing subtleties (Cunliffe & Eriksen, 2011)

• It is a means to collaborative relationships (Cunliffe & Eriksen, 2011)

• Emphasis on social construction (Uhl-Bien, 2006)

• Dynamic system of leadership, not role specific

• Cultural transformation needed requires relationships and open dialogue

• To fully understand others we need to look holistically at their needs

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