Nationally, colleges have reported increases in the number of students seeking services for mental illnesses or conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and stress.
To help address this issue, the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Psychiatry will host a symposium, “Challenges and Innovations in Mental Health for the College Student,” on Friday, Nov. 16, at the Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine St., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Target audience for the symposium is physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mental health professionals, social workers, nurses, college student services staff, and counselors. Cost is $79 for professionals and $39 for students in the health professions.
The symposium will feature the latest information on the mental health challenges and psychiatric issues encountered in the college setting, including recent innovations in care. Topics will include binge drinking and substance misuse, suicide and prevention, relationship violence, eating disorders, attention deficit disorder, and cross-cultural perspectives in late adolescent-young adult development.
“Information about issues students encounter on our campuses is minimal at best,” said James Sorrell, M.D., associate professor, UNMC Department of Psychiatry. “Quality information is important for those who work with students.”
Of a sample of 47,202 students at 74 campuses across the country in 2004, 14.9 percent of students reported, "having ever been diagnosed with depression," up from 10.3 percent from a spring 2000 report.
Of the 14.9 percent, just over a quarter said they were currently in therapy for depression, and over a third said they were currently taking medication for depression. Over 40 percent of men and 50 percent of women reported having experienced incidences of depression so severe it was difficult to function.
Dr. Sorrell said not only have there been increases in the mental illnesses or conditions affecting students, but also the problems associated with other issues, such as binge drinking, persist. “Academic institutions have instituted different programs to inform students on the dangers of binge drinking as well as the impact on their education. There has not been a consensus on how to educate students on the issue of binge drinking,” he said.
In addition to Dr. Sorrell, other speakers who will speak at the symposium will include: UNMC Department of Psychiatry faculty, Chelsea Chesen, M.D., Todd Stull, M.D., and Martin Wetzel, M.D. Jill Brown, Ph.D., Creighton University’s Department of Psychology, as well as Maria de Guzman, Ph.D., Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and Robert Portnoy, Ph.D., Counseling & Psychological Services, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Also participating will be Kirk Luder, M.D., consulting psychiatrist, Student Health/Counseling Services, Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.
Those interested in attending can contact Joan Husted, 402 559-6235 or jhusted@unmc.edu, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.