Penn State's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff recently announced their initiative to host the Center for the Study of College Student Mental Health (CSCSMH), which aims at networking data from higher education counseling centers nationwide.

The idea was sparked by a gap in the research of college student mental health, said Ben Locke, CAPS assistant director and national CSCSMH coordinator.

"The second leading cause of death for college students is suicide," Locke said. "In the last 10 to 15 years, a variety of evidence suggests the frequency and severity of mental illnesses in college students is increasing."

The CSCSMH effort will standardize data collection in 81 participating higher education counseling centers to develop a national database.

"This is truly groundbreaking for universities in general and university counseling centers," said Dennis Heitzmann, CAPS director and past president of the Association for the University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD). "For the first time, we will have a regular, ongoing and current idea about the nature of the issues students present."

Originally, information was collected through broad end-of-year surveys about centers and their clientele. Proposed in October 2005 at an AUCCCD conference, the new system will track trends, crises and overall health at campus and national levels.

"In April 2006, we held a conference [at Penn State] with 55 universities," Locke said. "The response was overwhelmingly positive. We planned on 30 attendees and we ended up with over 70."

The project will operate using Titanium Schedule -- organizational software made for counseling centers and used for record keeping that recently became financially feasible.

"There have been attempts to do this in the past and to create a common set of intake questionnaires, but there has never been a technology-driven system that is standardized and automated," Locke said.

Some centers will allow client-based data recording through computers, handheld technologies, or Scantron surveys. However, all entries will remain private.

"When you go in for counseling, you will provide your demographics, but any personal information will remain confidential," Locke said.

Eventually, CSCSMH will distribute semester-based data reports. Information will also be available for specific geographic locations or the time following national tragedies to help staff members better serve their students.

"It's always good to be operating with information," said Mary Ann Knapp, a CAPS counselor. "I've been here since 1984, and I definitely see an increase in the use and need for our services."

Housed at CAPS, CSCSMH will benefit other students as well as Penn State students who seek counseling.

"Studying college students is very important. Penn State can be mentally taxing. I was stressed out because I felt I had no support center," said Hanna Lee, a freshman at Rutgers University who recently left Penn State. "It's the biggest time of your life, and even though I chose to leave, talking to a counselor about my anxiety was very helpful."

As anxiety and other problems rise among college students, Locke said he is positive his initiative will fill some research loopholes.

"We have a lot of support," he said. "People are ready to make this happen."