Both down-to-earth and aspirational, this volume provides evidence and best practices to ensure greater mental health on campus, while stimulating conversation about how to ensure and optimize the value of higher education through thoughtful, sophisticated approaches to student mental health.
Student Mental Health: A Guide for Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Leaders Serving in Higher Education is the result of a sustained and multidisciplinary collaboration of scholars, leaders, clinicians, and educators who are deeply committed to student health and well-being. The needs of young people today are quite different from those of even 5 years ago, and this book pays great attention to the specific issues encountered in caring for today's students who experience distress or develop significant mental health conditions. Such issues, including suicidality, newly emergent psychosis, problems associated with substance misuse, the health risks of eating disorders, and the devastation of sexual assault, can challenge even the most experienced clinician. These topics and others related to safety, respect, conflict, and connection on campus, as well as students' evolving relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners, are covered with sensitivity and skill.
The book offers many features that deepen awareness and enhance learning:
- Chapters offer student case examples that illustrate the concepts and strategies discussed in the text, allowing readers to readily apply their newly acquired knowledge to real-life scenarios.
- The experiences, mental health, and well-being of distinct, vitally important, and often overlooked student populations, such as student athletes, graduate students, students of color, LGBTQ students, students who are the first in their families to attend college, students who are veterans or active military, and medical students, are addressed.
- Positive self-care-for both students and the clinicians who work with them--is emphasized. For example, activities and habits related to sleep, nutrition, and exercise are outlined in hopes they will become lifelong self-management strategies for students, while effective measures to prevent emotional exhaustion in clinicians are also highlighted in the text.
- Chapters incorporate features designed to promote learning: Key points offer quick summaries of chapter content; recommendations serve as reminders for best practices; and discussion questions provide thought-provoking approaches to the material for the reader's further reflection, development, and improvement.
At a time when students--whether in college, graduate school, or professional training--are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and distress, the need for guidance that is comprehensive, compassionate, constructive, and culturally sensitive has never been greater. Student Mental Health brings understanding and clinical acumen to bear on the complex problems of this vulnerable group.
