1. Presented by: Catherine Hagerman, Queen’s University
STUDENT MENTAL WELLNESS and Travel
Presented by: Catherine Hagerman, Queen’s University

2. Video: “What Anxiety Feels Like”

3. Who is vulnerable?
Youth, aged are most likely to suffer from selected mental disorders;
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 70% of mental health conditions have their onset during childhood or adolescence.
Suicide is the leading cause of death in Canadian youth aged 10-24, after motor vehicle accidents;
In the year age group, the suicide rate is 9% per 100,000 (12 for males, 5 for females);
In the year age group, the suicide rate is 12% per 100,000 (19 for males, 5 for females).
*Statistics Canada 2009

4. U.S. Universities are reporting:
58% of campuses have seen a rise in anxiety disorders;
89% of campuses have seen a rise in clinical depression;
33% of campuses have no psychiatrists available;
31% of campus counselling centres have waiting lists; and
8% of students in the past year have seriously considered suicide.
* The Chronicle of Higher Education September 4, 2015

5. Statistics similar in Canada (survey of Ontario Universities 2016)
65% of students reported experiencing overwhelming anxiety in the previous year (up from 57% in 2013).
46% reported feeling so depressed in the previous year it was difficult to function (up from 40% in 2013).
13% had seriously considered suicide in the previous year (up from 10% in 2013).
2.2% reported attempting suicide in the last year (up from 1.5% in 2013).
9% reported attempting suicide sometime in the past (not restricted to last year). 

6. For higher education students the concerns and challenges are numerous…
Transition from home to university
Normal adjustment process of this phase of life
Expectations of success
Financial, personal and cultural pressures
All added to a new environment

7. What are our challenges in higher education?
Many more students with a pre-existing diagnosis of mental illness now attend university than ever before.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in this age group, after accidents.
Impeding meaningful change is the stigma associated with mental illnesses due to misunderstanding, ignorance and bias.

8. Substance Abuse
Combine mental health issues with substance abuse and they’re referred to as concurrent disorders. The more severe the underlying mental health or substance abuse problem is, the more likely it will escalate to a concurrent disorder. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

9. What factors play a part in stability vs instability?
Foreign Language
Language
No Medicines
Medicines
Diet
Structure Routine
No Friends Family
No Structure Routine
Friends Family
Dr. Quigley
Diet
Support
No Support
ABROAD (less functional)
HOME (more functional)
* CAUBO Ottawa 2017

10. Educational Institution focus on ‘Duty of Care’
Under common law, the educational institution owes to each of its students a duty to take reasonable care for the well-being and health and safety of its students.
Duty of care includes ethical, legal, fiduciary, and moral, commercial and social responsibilities.

11. Queen’s University’s Framework
In 2010 and 2011, Queen’s University's community tragically suffered a number of student deaths.
In order to be able to become a more proactive and responsive community where we promote the well-being and success of our students, we felt it was important to understand how the mental health needs of our students were currently being addressed.
Our intention was to make recommendations on a mental health strategy that will promote a healthy, inclusive and supportive environment no matter where our students are.

12. Dealing with Stigma
Reducing stigma is exceptionally challenging whether within a university community or across society.
At Queen’s we felt that it was important to lay the groundwork for implementing a mental health strategy which is friendly, equitable and stigma-free.
Principal’s Commission developed a report on Student Mental Health and Wellness *

15. Case Study for discussion…
A student calls the Health Services department at your institution to report that a friend of hers has just told her on the phone that he plans to commit suicide.
Both students are on a student placement in South America living separately with local families.
The student tells the on-call mental health provider at your institution that she has made plans to meet her friend at a local café in 30 minutes.
She also reveals that he has been hospitalized in the past for suicide attempts and is on medication but she thinks he might not be taking them while in South America.