Mental Health Concerns Rise at U

Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN): Some 2,200 students made nearly 10,000 visits last year to the mental health clinic on the U's Twin Cities campus, up 44 percent from five years ago. Antidepressants were second only to contraceptives as the most prescribed medication from the Boynton Health Service pharmacy on campus, with students spending more than $500,000 on antidepressants last year. In surveys, 20 percent of the U's undergraduate women say they have been diagnosed with depression, twice the rate of men. On their own for the first time, plunged into new pressures and a culture different from home, depression can take hold in students, observers say. Untreated, it can lead to suicide, the second leading cause of death in college students nationwide. Sixteen U students have killed themselves since 2000, according to data Boynton leaders will present today to university regents. This fall, the university began a push to make students aware of the help available. In October, when the U's parent Web site put up a page dedicated to student mental health, it received 1,000 hits within the first three weeks. Some universities require students to leave school if they're depressed or possibly suicidal. U officials say that's not happening here. But they acknowledge a "high and persistent level of mental health problems on campus" that needs more attention.