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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2004)
Suicide: Medical-leave policy among biggest changes proposed by University Continued from page 1 said with a growing number of stu dents on campus, there is bound to be an increase in the proportion of those with mental issues. She said many circumstances contribute to students becoming suicidal. “Whether it be past family circum stances, dealing with their sexual ori entation, depression, many issues can bring students to being suicidal,” Schoonover said. “With depression, many may be at the age when they first get diagnosed. ” But many students are coming to college with previous diagnoses of mental disorders, said Scott Perfect, the clinical coordinator for Western Oregon University’s counseling center. “One of the things we’re seeing is that there is an increase in the fre quency and severity of mental ill nesses at universities,” Perfect said. “This puts a lot of strain on systems at universities.” He said reduced stigma associated with mental illnesses and better med icine have led to earlier detection of mental health problems in students. “People with psychiatric disorders can go to school and succeed,” he said. “They can also de-compensate. ” Vice President for Student Affairs Anne Leavitt said the number of stu dents enrolling at the University who are dealing with mental health issues has created a need for better educa tion and support on campus. “Nationally, about one in five stu dents are presenting with some form of mental health challenge,” Leavitt said. “They’re coming here with suc cess in their background, and we want to make sure they’re successful here. So we begin with trying to edu cate the rest of our campus that stu dents with mental health challenges are present in our campus, they’re welcome in our campus and they need our support.” New task force, policies To address the growing needs of students facing mental health issues — especially those at risk of contem plating suicide — and to avoid poten tial lawsuits, the University has creat ed a suicide prevention task force, has reviewed counseling center prac tices and is putting the final touches on proposed changes to the school’s medical-leave policy. Under current policy, the Universi ty can force students to leave when they pose an imminent danger to oth ers or are severely disruptive to the health of the campus community, Holmes said. A new draft of the poli cy, which will be looked at later this year, would include suicidal behavior as a category for medical leave and would more clearly specify involun tary leave as an option when individ uals pose an imminent threat to themselves or others, Holmes said. The proposed policy would also change which campus department makes the final decision on whether a student stays at the University. The proposal would shift the final decision from health-center professionals to the Division of Student Affairs, although the director of either the health center or counseling center would make a medical recommendation. Holmes said the policy is needed to address a small subset of suicidal students, who she described as be ing in a “suicidal career” or a “sui cidal trance.” “It’s where the person is kind of on a mission,” Holmes said. “Their thinking gets very narrowed, their problem-solving becomes very nar rowed ... and they don’t want to get off that path.” If students are outwardly suicidal but continue to refuse help, they are bringing harm not only to themselves but the entire campus community, Leavitt said. “A student who is threatening sui cide every night actually is creating a crisis in the community around them,” she said. “It holds the com munity hostage.” Friends and acquaintances might stay up during the night to periodical ly check on suicidal students, causing them to become anxious and upset, she said. “The next thing you know, two or three or four people’s lives are com pletely altered by this crisis,” Leavitt said, “and they can’t go to class. They’re scared and staying up all night.” Although the situation is uncom mon — usually people who are de pressed are willing to get help, Holmes said — those who refuse aid put continuous stress on the counsel ing center and campus community. “I cannot tell you how time-con suming it is,” Holmes said. “Let’s say we do nothing even though we have all this information, and the student kills themselves. That’s not good for the student because we could have intervened, and we know that inter vention helps. It’s not good for the University, because it appears as though we are uncaring. The parents are extremely upset that one, they didn’t know, and we knew; and two, we didn’t do anything and their child is dead now.” Along with growing levels of suici dal behavior, lawsuits have been pop ping up on college campuses. In one high-profile case, when Massachu setts Institute of Technology student Elizabeth Shin set herself on fire in her dormitory room, her parents sued the school for $27 million, claiming the school improperly handled the situation. Holmes said avoiding litigation is n’t the primary reason for the new policy, but, “We’re trying to be on the front end of that before something happens, before there is a lawsuit.” Students asked by the University to leave due to a health or safety emer gency could return with a doctor’s Flu Uaccine Students • fluailable for "high risk” for complications of the flu • Mondag-Fridag, 9-4 pm ?10 Old 11 • Ruailable for "high risk" faculty, staff i their eligible dependents age 14 or older • Thurs. 11/18, Fri. 11/15,8-8 am, Sal. 11/20,10-2 pm following Hied./Thurs./Fri. 8-8 am while supply lasts • Briny 0010 8 BCBS insurance card. $18.50 if not couered by BCBS. CDC high risk groups include: • People 65 years of age or older • Adults and children 2 years of age and older uuith chronic lung or heart disorders including heart disease and asthma • HJonen uuho mill be pregnant during the influenza season • Adults and children 2 years of age and older uuith chronic metabolic diseases [including diabetes), kidney diseases, blood disorders, or uueakened immune systems • Children and teenagers, 6 months to 18 years of age, uuho take aspirin daily • Household members and out-of-home care giuers of infants under the age of 6 months • Health care uuorkers uuho prouide direct, hands-on care to patients UNIVERSITY OF OREGON http://heaIthcenter.uoregon.edu • appointments: 346-2770 COUNSELING SERVICE USE BY STUDENTS 2000 1750 1500 1250 1000 750 500 250 0 Number of students Number of those with using counseling services suicidal thoughts 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 note or some other evidence that they are ready to be back in school, Leavitt said. The policy is modeled after one at the University of Illinois, which Leavitt said has been successful. The Oregon Institute of Technology is also considering one, but only Willamette University, in Salem, has a similar policy. Clinical coordinator Scott Perfect said Western Oregon University has n’t considered such a policy. “People’s civil rights aren’t sus pended because they need psycho logical services,” he said. “We don’t force services upon people.” However, in cases of medical emergencies and crises, the school could rely on other grounds, such as housing contracts, to mandate a psy chological assessment, he said. “People have the right to refuse services,” he said. “The community has the right to say, ‘We don’t want you to kill yourself’ and get the police involved.” Although the decision will impact students, so far, it has only been dis cussed by staff, Holmes said. The policy will be subject to campus dis cussion when it is officially proposed, she said, but much of the back ground information for drafting it was best left to health professionals. “Student input is important, but at the same time, students are not trained as professionals,” Holmes said. “At the end of the day, we still need to get the job done, and we’re going to be held accountable for it.” ASUO President Adam Petkun said he didn’t have enough information on the drafted policy to voice an opinion, but he was concerned that making an already-stressed student leave school could be harmful. He hopes students would eventually be more involved with the formation of the policy. “I understand the need to have ex perts, but who could give you better perspective on issues involving stu dents than students?” he said. Holmes said the need to protect the entire campus community out weighs concern for an individual who is suicidal, disruptive and refus ing services. “We need to tell those students you can’t stay here, be in school and do that,” Holmes said. “It’s not safe. It’s not good for anybody else and it’s just not a solution.” Students seeking services Although many schools in the Ore gon University System are generally confident that students’ needs are be ing met, the growing need for mental health services has also increased the need for staff, according to several counseling centers. Holmes said the University coun seling center does very well in pro viding individual and group counsel ing to the University’s nearly 20,000 Bret Furtwangler | Graphic artist students, but it needs another psy chologist. Southern Oregon University offers counseling and crisis services but sets a limit of five sessions before stu dents must pay an additional fee. For more severe problems, the school refers students off campus. Addition al funding and staffing could help the school to better serve students, said Allan Weisbard, the school’s director of counseling. “Where we see a big shift in lack of resources is in the greater com munity,” Weisbard said. “If we had more staff, we could certainly do more outreach and groups. It’d be much better. ” Marianne Weaver, a clinical psy chologist at Eastern Oregon Universi ty, said because of an increase in stu dents with mental problems, the school’s staff of two has faced a heavy workload. “Both of us are being asked to do a lot more on campus,” Weaver said, noting they’ve managed to avoid us ing a waiting list. Space limitations hinder service and staff expansion at the University, Holmes said. While she’d like to hire another psychologist, there isn’t enough office space. She hopes an additional 10,000 square feet from a remodel slated for upcoming years will help the center expand, although they’re operating efficiently for now. “We feel very fortunate we’re well funded,” Holmes said. “We’re not cutting back on services, but we’re not rolling in extra money. It’s just ex actly the way it should be.” Leavitt said she worries the in crease in student needs could out pace the expansion of the University Health Center. “If the population continues to have a growing presence of mental health issues, it may be the remodel ing is not going to be good enough,” she said. New funds may come to universi ties through a bill recently passed by Congress. The Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was named for Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith’s son, who com mitted suicide last year while at col lege. The bill was passed by Congress in September and authorizes $82 mil lion over three years to fund suicide prevention programs for states, American Indian tribes, colleges and universities. Leavitt said the bill has yet to be appropriated, but the University will eventually apply for grant money through the program. She said the bill will help give campuses the ca pacity to reach out to students. “(Smith’s) son’s death reminded us of what we already know,” she said. “Students who go to college are at less risk, but only if there are help ing services.” karahansen @ dailyemerald. com PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER. ----. '" T T**.' * w • ’ ' ■»'"» «■’»>*
