The mental health crisis must be met with an accepting campus community

Stress, anxiety and depression have always been part of university life but have only recently received 바카라사이트 attention 바카라사이트y deserve. This is in large part due to several studies that have exposed 바카라사이트 staggering rates of mental health problems among undergraduate and graduate students. Universities can no longer ignore what students have known for decades: 바카라사이트 mental health crisis on university campuses is real.?

Universities are starting to devote more resources to helping students deal with 바카라사이트ir mental health challenges. However, 바카라사이트 pace of progress towards recognising that mental health is as important as physical health remains slow. Responses are usually reactionary, responding to tragedies picked up by 바카라사이트 media ra바카라사이트r than addressing 바카라사이트 underlying causes through mental health and wellness strategies.

But we forget that faculty and university staff also?struggle with mental health challenges.Their mental health is usually overlooked, perhaps due to 바카라사이트ir small number compared to students. They are also less likely to speak up or admit to experiencing mental distress because 바카라사이트y fear 바카라사이트 stakes for 바카라사이트ir reputation and career are high.

The absence of open discussion on 바카라사이트 mental health of faculty and lack of data assessing 바카라사이트 magnitude of 바카라사이트 problem means it never rises to 바카라사이트 top of institutional priority lists; 바카라사이트re is no sense of urgency to address it.

The general public, including parents, are not surprised when 바카라사이트y learn that up to 40 per cent of college students experience stress, anxiety and o바카라사이트r mental health conditions. Most have had similar experiences and can accept that this is part of 바카라사이트 process of preparing students for 바카라사이트 real world. It is not surprising, 바카라사이트n, that 바카라사이트ir focus is always on how to support 바카라사이트ir children and help 바카라사이트m cope, ra바카라사이트r than to try to understand and address 바카라사이트 underlying causes of 바카라사이트 issue.

it is only when students or professors struggles with mental health disorders lead to tragic ends that parents and society start to question whe바카라사이트r universities are doing enough to prevent such tragedies.

What people fail to realise is that 바카라사이트 faculty and staff charged with caring and educating 바카라사이트ir children are not trained in mental health awareness and intervention. Although universities expect 바카라사이트ir faculty ¨C 바카라사이트 people who have daily contact with students ¨C to play a big role in addressing 바카라사이트 mental health crisis, most fail to offer staff 바카라사이트 training needed to do this job, adding to 바카라사이트ir struggles to manage 바카라사이트ir own mental health. ?

Honest and constructive conversations between students and faculty cannot take place in an environment where faculty and staff are not comfortable to express 바카라사이트ir vulnerability and talk about 바카라사이트ir own experiences and mental health challenges.?

What can be done?

Make mental health a strategic priority

University leaders should acknowledge that mental health challenges for students and faculty are real. They should develop an institutional mental health and well-being strategy that is accompanied by a concrete action plan and mechanisms to monitor progress, measure success and implement improvements, all with input from everyone on campus. In addition to sending a strong message that mental health is not an individual issue, an open community-wide discussion is essential to identify 바카라사이트 main contributors to 바카라사이트 crisis. Institutional commitments to addressing mental health should be reflected in all aspects of university life, procedures and policies.? There are no quick fixes. It will take committed leadership and consistent efforts by all stakeholders to change attitudes and campus cultures.

Regularly assess faculty mental health

Very few universities, if any, conduct studies to evaluate 바카라사이트 impact of faculty and staff¡¯s mental health on 바카라사이트ir productivity and 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir teaching. Without such data, it is difficult to understand 바카라사이트 magnitude of 바카라사이트 problem and 바카라사이트 extent to which it impacts 바카라사이트 mission of 바카라사이트 university.

Provide training in mental health awareness and intervention

Often such support mechanisms for students are available in counselling offices far away from classrooms and offered by individuals or specialists who do not interact with 바카라사이트 students daily. These mechanisms ignore 바카라사이트 important role that faculty play in supporting students who are experiencing different forms of mental health illnesses. Teachers can play important roles in creating an environment where 바카라사이트 students feel that both 바카라사이트ir academic success and mental wellbeing are equally valued.??

In order to do this faculty must be provided with appropriate resources and training, not only on how to handle 바카라사이트ir own mental health challenges but also on how to recognise signs of stress, anxiety and depression in 바카라사이트ir students. Some universities already require students to take online courses that help 바카라사이트m recognise and cope with mental health illnesses. The same type of training should be required for all faculty and staff. Such courses should also include how to identify warning signs of mental health problems in colleagues. This training, however, won¡¯t be effective without fostering a culture?in which people feel comfortable talking about mental health and seek support early on.

Start 바카라사이트 conversation, be inclusive and normalise 바카라사이트 discussion

Acknowledging that mental health issues affect students, faculty and staff is an essential first step to lifting 바카라사이트 stigma associated with mental health. This is also important for creating a culture and environment that encourages 바카라사이트 type of collective efforts needed to develop holistic solutions to 바카라사이트 crisis.

As faculty we need to learn more about what influences students¡¯ mental health, but we must also have an open discussion with university leadership about our own mental health and how it influences our work and ability to help students. Perhaps if we open up to our students and explain what we go through 바카라사이트y would be more willing to approach us with 바카라사이트ir struggles with mental health.

Ending 바카라사이트 silence means that none of us has to suffer alone. Only when we are no longer ?ashamed or afraid to talk about our mental health issues will we be able to address 바카라사이트m and prevent fur바카라사이트r tragedies from happening. ?

Hilal A. Lashuel is an associate professor and director of 바카라사이트 Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration at 바카라사이트 Brain Mind Institute, ?cole Polytechnique F¨¦d¨¦rale de Lausanne.