The Problem: Campus Mental Health

In the past year, numerous reports and publications have described a youth and young adult mental health “crisis” (Population Research Bureau, 2022; NAMI, 2022; Surgeon General, 2021; National Council on Disability, 2021), tied both to accelerating conditions preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the effects of the pandemic itself. Comparing pre-COVID data from 2019 to post-COVID 2020, for example, the Centers for Disease Control identified marked increases in suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety, with particularly high spikes among young adults aged 18-25 (CDC, 2021). Recently, the Biden White House has put forward a series of initiatives designed to address this youth and young adult crisis (White House, 2022).

Despite a growing number of college suicide prevention and student well-being initiatives, research and interventions focused on campus crisis response, hospitalization, and the reintegration and inclusion of students with psychiatric disabilities are underdeveloped. More research needs to center on college students with psychiatric disabilities, and more research needs to identify priority outcomes and interventions, including comparative effectiveness research.

Project Description

This 12-month project will take place from January 2023 to December 2023 and is co-led by Kelly Davis (Mental Health America), Dr. Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh), and Jalyn Radziminski (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law).

The project leads will work with selected workgroup members, who are students with lived experience, and researchers to discuss and identify priority areas for research and change in (1) mental health crisis response, (2) (re)-integration, and (3) accommodations. Project leads and workgroup members will then share findings at a large group convening on September 6, 2023, with guests including additional students with lived experience, administrators, clinicians, researchers, and other stakeholders. Project leads will then integrate feedback and create resources, including issue briefs, that will be promoted to the general public and relevant stakeholders.

About Campus Mental Health Coalition

Despite growing attention to mental health in higher education, campus crisis response, hospitalization, and reintegration of students with psychiatric disabilities have not been prioritized in research and interventions.

This project centers on college students with psychiatric disabilities to identify and elevate their priorities for improving campus mental health research and practices.

Core Focus Areas

Our Goals

Increase awareness & spread empathy
through education

Encourage more academic research into viable solutions

Give administrators and students the tools they need to address campus mental health

Who We Are

A team of disability leaders Kelly Davis (Mental Health America), Jalyn Radziminski (the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law), and Nev Jones (the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work) are organizing a national campus mental health workgroups and convening to bring together a group of diverse stakeholders, including student activists, to develop research priorities in the following areas:

Campus crisis response and integration of campus support in the context of hospitalization,
Medical leaves and/or psychiatric disabilities requiring cross-division coordination, and
Psychiatric disability accommodations and ADA-related policy and practice.