Mental Health on the Campus Revisited

Abstract

The author briefly reviews Mental Health on the Campus: A Field Study, published in 1973, noting areas of consensus and points of tension or disagreement that were reported in that study. He then assesses the extent to which the current state of mental health on the campus is an echo of that report. These comparisons form the basis for anticipating the probable direction of future developments in campus mental health. The areas and issues considered include the increased diversity of the student body, the stable incidence of psychotic disorders, the increased prevalence of gender-related diagnoses such as sexual abuse and eating disorders, the continuing financial pressures bearing on campus mental health programs, and the forms of care and treatment that fiscal and other circumstances are imposing. The author concludes that although the resources available and the particular challenges that are faced may have changed, the traditional goals of a campus mental health program, as articulated 75 years ago when the American College Health Association was founded, remain valid, even if they are difficult to attain.