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Information Alert: Support Mental and Behavioral Health
Services on College Campuses
October 1, 2003
Dear Colleagues:
Get ready, get set! In the upcoming days, APA's Public Policy
Office (PPO) will need your help on raising awareness about an important
legislative initiative. PPO has put forward a proposal that will authorize
federal support for grants to centers on college campuses that provide mental
and behavioral health services to students. Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL), a
member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee has expressed interest
in working with us on this idea and his office is busy generating a
bill/amendment that will authorize a new program within the Higher Education Act
to support centers on college campuses that provide mental and behavioral health
services to students. We will almost certainly have to take action quickly and
help Members of Congress understand why this idea is one they should support.
Without support from APA constituents in key Congressional Districts, it is
unlikely that this proposal will be accepted by the House Education and the
Workforce Committee. So, while we don't need you to begin calling/e-mailing
today, it will be critical to have your support and for you to take action when
the time is right.
For your information, we have included background information
regarding this legislative initiative. Please be on alert in the upcoming days
for an all out Action Alert. We appreciate your participation and look forward
to working with you.
BACKGROUND
The
program, proposed by the American Psychological Association as part of its
recommendations to the reauthorization of the HEA, addresses the serious problem
of the growing need for psychological services on college campuses. The proposal
seeks to improve success in college and protect the federal investment in our
nation's post-secondary students by strengthening the amount of, type of and
access to mental and behavioral health services on college campuses. Mental
and behavioral health issues are underlying factors impacting a student's
ability to succeed in college-- these include a range of issues from living and
coping independently to diagnosable mental disorders. The Surgeon General
reported (in 2000) that one in five adolescents experience the signs and
symptoms of a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. The most common
mental health problems associated with college students include anxiety and
depression, which may lead to suicide -- now the third leading cause of death
among 10-24 year olds. In addition to these mental health problems on campus,
there are a host of behavioral health problems including alcoholism, substance
abuse, sexual violence, and eating disorders. These problems affect the ability
of students to function normally and successfully in a college environment. They
may cause serious physical problems, academic failure, inability to complete
college and in some cases, suicide. In the past decade, the prevalence of these
problems has increased. Psychologists are needed on campuses across the nation
to treat the growing mental and behavioral health problems of college students.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Jenny
Smulson in APA's Public Policy Office via
email or at (202) 336-5945. Thanks in advance for taking your valuable time to
make a difference in changing federal laws to increase opportunities for success
in college.
More
information on the Higher Education Act.
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