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Bell gift supports mental health resources for students
by Daniel McCabe
Oct 14, 2014
The number of McGill students seeking help from the professionals at the University?s Mental Health Services Clinic has risen sharply in recent years. Just this past year alone, there was a 24 per cent spike in new cases over the year before.
Do the growing numbers indicate that students are experiencing depression and anxiety more often than in the past? Or is there simply less stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues, prompting more students to do so?
?It?s probably a bit of both,? says Nancy Low, MSc?02, the clinical director for Mental Health Services and an assistant professor of psychiatry at McGill. A survey organized by the clinic last year indicated that more than 40 per cent of the University?s students have experienced symptoms associated with serious anxiety or depression. Low says those numbers roughly parallel the findings of similar studies done at other universities.
Thanks to a $500,000 grant from Bell Canada, Low and her colleagues will soon have a valuable new tool to address the mental health needs of McGill students.
Low and her team will be using the Bell funding to fine-tune the McGill Wellness Portal. The website, which will be launched next spring, will allow students to assess their own mental health needs.
?The portal will offer feedback,? says Low. ?In some cases, it might suggest that students make use of the peer-to-peer resources we have at McGill. If there is evidence of medium to severe symptoms of a mental health problem, students will be advised to come to Mental Health Services.?
For some students, the thought of doing an online self-assessment might be less intimidating than going to a psychologist or counsellor straightaway. ?One of the major things associated with mental health problems is social isolation,? says Low. ?People often don?t know if what they?re experiencing is normal or not.?
The portal will focus on the most common mental health issues faced by McGill?s students: depression, anxiety, eating disorders and alcohol abuse. It will include first-person accounts of individuals who have struggled with various mental health issues, as well as tips on combating anxiety and information on the stress-busting benefits of being physically active and getting enough sleep.
It will also offer information on all the support systems that exist on and off campus for students. Low says there is a lot of help available for students encountering difficulties, but they often don?t know about those resources. ?During orientation, new students do hear about all the support systems that are in place at McGill, but it?s a lot to take in. And then the semester starts and they?re focused on doing well in their courses. A lot of that other information gets washed away.?
Low says that international students and out-of-province students are especially at risk for mental health problems. ?It?s a huge transition for them. They?ve typically done very well in school, but now they?re away from their parents and their friends and family. The support systems they had in place aren?t close by anymore.?
As a psychiatrist, Low says she?d like to see a day when ?people found that talking about their mental health concerns was just as easy as talking to your doctor about diabetes or hypertension.? She sees some hopeful signs.
?When students do come in to the clinic, we ask what prompted them to book the appointment. A lot of the time, it?s because of urging from their friends. That makes me think that there is less stigma associated with mental health issues than there once was. Students are more comfortable talking to their friends about this and the friends are being supportive.?
In fact, Low says McGill students have been very sensitive to mental health concerns. Students are very much involved in the evolution of the McGill Wellness Portal ? they?ve been closely consulted throughout the process. And Low recently took part in Student in Mind, a student-organized campus conference dedicated to mental health issues.
She gives Bell credit too. Since its launch in 2010, Bell?s Let?s Talk campaign has committed more than $68.5 million to supporting various mental health programs throughout Canada. ?I think that?s fantastic.?
by Daniel McCabe
Oct 14, 2014
The number of McGill students seeking help from the professionals at the University?s Mental Health Services Clinic has risen sharply in recent years. Just this past year alone, there was a 24 per cent spike in new cases over the year before.
Do the growing numbers indicate that students are experiencing depression and anxiety more often than in the past? Or is there simply less stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues, prompting more students to do so?
?It?s probably a bit of both,? says Nancy Low, MSc?02, the clinical director for Mental Health Services and an assistant professor of psychiatry at McGill. A survey organized by the clinic last year indicated that more than 40 per cent of the University?s students have experienced symptoms associated with serious anxiety or depression. Low says those numbers roughly parallel the findings of similar studies done at other universities.
Thanks to a $500,000 grant from Bell Canada, Low and her colleagues will soon have a valuable new tool to address the mental health needs of McGill students.
Low and her team will be using the Bell funding to fine-tune the McGill Wellness Portal. The website, which will be launched next spring, will allow students to assess their own mental health needs.
?The portal will offer feedback,? says Low. ?In some cases, it might suggest that students make use of the peer-to-peer resources we have at McGill. If there is evidence of medium to severe symptoms of a mental health problem, students will be advised to come to Mental Health Services.?
For some students, the thought of doing an online self-assessment might be less intimidating than going to a psychologist or counsellor straightaway. ?One of the major things associated with mental health problems is social isolation,? says Low. ?People often don?t know if what they?re experiencing is normal or not.?
The portal will focus on the most common mental health issues faced by McGill?s students: depression, anxiety, eating disorders and alcohol abuse. It will include first-person accounts of individuals who have struggled with various mental health issues, as well as tips on combating anxiety and information on the stress-busting benefits of being physically active and getting enough sleep.
It will also offer information on all the support systems that exist on and off campus for students. Low says there is a lot of help available for students encountering difficulties, but they often don?t know about those resources. ?During orientation, new students do hear about all the support systems that are in place at McGill, but it?s a lot to take in. And then the semester starts and they?re focused on doing well in their courses. A lot of that other information gets washed away.?
Low says that international students and out-of-province students are especially at risk for mental health problems. ?It?s a huge transition for them. They?ve typically done very well in school, but now they?re away from their parents and their friends and family. The support systems they had in place aren?t close by anymore.?
As a psychiatrist, Low says she?d like to see a day when ?people found that talking about their mental health concerns was just as easy as talking to your doctor about diabetes or hypertension.? She sees some hopeful signs.
?When students do come in to the clinic, we ask what prompted them to book the appointment. A lot of the time, it?s because of urging from their friends. That makes me think that there is less stigma associated with mental health issues than there once was. Students are more comfortable talking to their friends about this and the friends are being supportive.?
In fact, Low says McGill students have been very sensitive to mental health concerns. Students are very much involved in the evolution of the McGill Wellness Portal ? they?ve been closely consulted throughout the process. And Low recently took part in Student in Mind, a student-organized campus conference dedicated to mental health issues.
She gives Bell credit too. Since its launch in 2010, Bell?s Let?s Talk campaign has committed more than $68.5 million to supporting various mental health programs throughout Canada. ?I think that?s fantastic.?
