The Life of the Mind: Mental Health on Campus

This article was originally written by: Alexandra C. Price

While this article will present many different student experiences on campus—both here and at other universities—and suggest potential ways that the University of Chicago’s administration and student body can improve, mental health is a complex, intersectional, and sensitive topic with few simple solutions. Raising awareness to both the existing issues and possible improvements, however, is a good place to start, and will hopefully spark a broad discourse on the topic of mental health that can continue to grow and develop in the coming quarters.

Trigger warning: mental illness, stigma

Posters advertising student counseling resources.

UChicago—“where fun goes to die”—is grappling with the mental health of its students. In this, the school is not alone. According to a 2017 report from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, rates of anxiety and depression have been steadily increasing on college campuses for several years. On-campus health and counseling centers have struggled to keep up with the trend, leading many students to protest about the lack of mental health resources and awareness on campus.

“University of Chicago pamphlets will tell you that Student Counseling Services is set up to give students resources to aid in their mental healthcare,” says fourth-year student Emma Preston, “and yet, every student I know who has sought resources or guidance . . . has in one way or another found these services insufficient.”

Preston’s comment reflects the opinions and experiences of many UChicago students—out of forty-four students surveyed by The Gate, 43.2 percent rated UChicago’s mental health services a 1 or a 2 out of 5 in terms of overall satisfaction. Yet, a similar amount—38.7 percent—gave SCS an overall positive rating of 4 or 5. Which begs the question: what are the causes for this disparity in student experiences, and how can SHCS make their services more effective for all students? And, perhaps more importantly, how can both students and administrators work to make UChicago a place where the “life of the mind” can truly flourish?