There is a mental health epidemic in higher education, and colleges and universities are looking to new, innovative solutions for help. An expert panel at the recent ASU+GSV conference shared startling statistics about the depth of the problem, along with new emerging models of mental health care for college students. The crisis is larger than institutions can manage on their own, and they are actively searching for solutions to support students to achieve better academic, clinical, and personal outcomes.
Forty million college-age adults have mental health issues. 95% of college counseling centers report that mental health is a growing concern on campus, and 40% of students reported experiencing depression. 64% of college dropouts are due to mental health issues, and the second leading cause of death for college-aged students is suicide.
The panel featured serial entrepreneurs, health-care providers, and one health technology investor. Each of the start-ups are working closely with colleges and universities to help supplement available care. The range of service offerings from their companies include teletherapy, women-only health clinics, digital-only health clinics, training peer support therapists, a self-measuring app, and a state-by-state matching service as 50-70% of therapy success is based on a good match between patient and therapist.
A Pre-COVID Problem
College and university presidents were already struggling with growing student mental health concerns and didn’t know how to address it. Each of these organizations has found a unique approach to help. There is $2 billion moving through college counseling centers, however the reimbursement for this age group is $17 billion every year, which means that most students are paying for services themselves or through insurance.
Many students don’t have access to services through campus. Or they graduate and then lose their care connection and have to find and pay for it on their own. The current model is that schools offer a certain number of sessions and then students transition to self-pay. Decreasing enrollments mean greater budget restraints. One panelist said, “it is mission-critical to help schools help their students.” Unfortunately, 80% of college students who attempt suicide each year never make it to a counseling center. Another panelist said, “some of the patients with the highest acuity are hiding in the darkness; the second leading cause of death for this population is suicide.”
The panel agreed that university counseling centers are a critical part of the care landscape, and they’re doing a good job of reducing some of the stigma, but most have long wait lists and cannot accommodate all students. When mental health care is campus-based, there are also predictable gaps in care, so continuity of care is an issue as students graduate or travel between home and school. College students have a lot of unique stressors, and there is a lot that can happen to destabilize students during their home visits. Apparently, many young people look for health advice on social media, particularly Tik-Tok.
Universities are looking for help to support students on and off their traditional campuses, online, and in-person. They are more open than ever to partnering outside the school to supply services to their students and are eagerly supporting new approaches to mental health support. The panel agreed that universities need to not just focus on “the cure.” We need to create a more holistic approach to mental health care—including prevention.
The panel members included:
- Jill Buban, general manager and vice president of Bright Horizons Ed Assist Solution
- Michael London, founder and CEO, UWill
- Lori Evans Bernstein, cofounder and CEO, Careaway
- Ed Gaussen, cofounder and CEO, Mantra Health
- Marissa Schlueter Moore, health tech investor, Omers
- Obi Felten, founder and CEO, Flourish Labs