Mental healthcare is notoriously difficult to access in the United States. Insurance-related complications, geographic limitations, financial barriers are all factors that affect access. On college campuses, where these resources become all the more important, access is similarly difficult.
The mental health crisis is particularly salient amongst young people. One 2020 report by the Healthy Minds Network found that nearly 40% of surveyed college students have experienced depression, over 30% have experienced anxiety, 11% have experienced eating disorders, over 20% are on psychiatric medication and nearly 30% are in therapy. The same report also found that 45% of surveyed college students believed that mental health treatment is stigmatized by the public. Clearly, college students are experiencing significant mental health challenges, which can often be exacerbated in a college environment.
Universities, in often marketing themselves as near self-sufficient communities for their students, bear some responsibility towards the health and wellbeing of their students. Counselling services have been proven to be immensely helpful to academic performance and retention of students. The demand for these services on college campuses are increasing as the stigma around mental illness decreases, and college students are finding it more socially acceptable to discuss mental health and seek help. Yet, mental health services remain woefully inadequate to serve the needs of students.
At the University of Kansas (KU), for example, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides mental health resources to students. CAPS is heavily promoted to students, particularly at orientation events. However, it has proven to be inadequate to meet the high demand. The clinic has a less than ideal system with awarding first appointments on a first come-first served basis for the same day leaving students to scramble to call and get an appointment at 8 AM. If students do not receive an appointment on the day they call, they have to do it all again the next day.
CAPS charges $15 a session—a significantly low charge for therapy. However, low costs for students come at the price of underfunded and inadequate facilities. While the Kansas Board of Regents sought to spend more money on mental health resources at KU to meet the dramatically growing demand, CAPS remains underfunded and understaffed. In 2019, one CAPS staff member stated, “Budget is an issue. We have no more funds,” further elaborating that CAPS needs more therapists and office space but does not have the means to expand.
Students at KU have also noticed the shortfall in mental health resources on campus. One Her Campus KU member stated that her therapist at CAPS was helpful in finding healthy coping mechanisms and navigating issues but acknowledged that CAPS as a whole was short staffed. Similarly, another Her Campus KU member found CAPS to be beneficial to her mental health and appreciated her therapist but thought that the same-day appointment policy could be detrimental to students’ mental health and not the best approach. The general consensus amongst students seems to be that while they are glad to have an affordable on-campus mental healthcare resource, KU has a long way to go towards having that resource be sufficient. As one KU student put it, “CAPS kinda sucks, but it’s the only accessible option.” The difficulty in getting started at CAPS discourages students and the limited capacity means someone is always getting left behind. The out-of-pocket cost, despite being so low, can also be a barrier given that they can add up over multiple appointments.
Higher education institutions bear responsibility for their students’ health and wellbeing. Even Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, acknowledged the need for better mental healthcare at universities stating, “This has to really be baked into how we reimagine our institutions, right? Gone are the days where we’re just focusing on the academic needs of our students.” Clearly, the bare minimum is no longer going to cut it on college campuses. Mental health deserves to be prioritized and funded proportionate to its salience. Students should be able to easily access and afford mental healthcare. Is that really too much to ask?