The number of students at Penn State seeking psychiatric help has increased over the past year, coinciding with a national trend of rising psychological problems on college campuses.
According to the 2005 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors, colleges are facing an increased number of students with severe psychological problems and students coming to college already on psychiatric medication.
More than 90 percent of directors in the survey reported an increase in these students over the past year, which is up from 85.5 percent in 2004.
The survey also showed that on evaluation forms, 54.6 percent of clients reported that counseling helped them to remain in school, and 60 percent claimed it helped their academic performance.
Dennis Heitzmann, Penn State's director of counseling and psychological services, participated in this survey but was not available for comment by press time yesterday.
Mary Anne Knapp, Penn State's outreach and consultation coordinator and therapist, said there is an increased demand for services each year, not just because people have real issues to deal with but also because it's becoming more socially acceptable to reach out for psychological help.
She said the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) sees students for a range of issues -- from homesickness and transition issues to suicide, binge drinking, eating disorders and sexual assault -- and the director gets reports from other directors in the Big Ten.
"Penn State is demonstrating kind of comparable problems with students to others in the Big Ten," Knapp said.
She added that in the 2004-05 school year, CAPS saw 2,517 students who participated in consultation and assessment, which is up from the previous year's 2,071 students.
Those numbers are for students who gave their age, Knapp said.
"I think it's a good thing that students are coming in," she said, adding that it is only a problem in the sense that CAPS doesn't have unlimited resources, such as therapists and staff.
CAPS is making efforts to accommodate the growing numbers, Knapp said.
It has offered a triage position for a few years for students who may not be able to wait until their first appointment to speak with a counselor but do not meet the requirements of a crisis.
They are also trying to put more resources online, such as self-help information and surveys about depression, anxiety and alcohol use.
The number of suicides at Penn State has remained steady, Knapp added, ranging from zero to two each year.
A Penn State Pulse survey, conducted in November 2004 by the Student Affairs Office of Research and Assessment, showed that 22 percent of students indicated they had received counseling before coming to Penn State.
According to the survey, 8.3 percent had been prescribed psychiatric medication before coming to Penn State and 1.6 percent had been hospitalized for psychiatric concerns.
It showed that seniors reported being more frequently distressed than did first-year students, and the data consistently showed a linear decline from first-year students to seniors.
Knapp said she urges students who need help or know someone who does to visit CAPS at 221 Ritenour or to call 863-0395.
