Depression on College Campuses Conference: Addressing an Evolving Crisis

According to data from the Healthy Minds Study, which has a sample comprising 155,026 students from 196 campuses, the percentage of US college students with lifetime diagnoses of a mental health condition increased from 22 to 36% between 2007 and 2017 and the rate of past-year mental health treatment increased from 19 to 34%, leading to greater demand on already-strained campus counseling and mental health centers [2]. Though Stepped Care and upstream solutions including universal prevention programs, rapid referral to community treatment, and digital mental health tools have been recommended [4], adoption has been slow and the immense strain on institutions of higher education remains. [...]immediate mental health crises and the collective upheavals that follow deaths by suicide on campus continue to occur. To offer a successful conference of this nature, support from high level university leadership was needed and attained. Since its inception, DoCC has received encouragement and commitment from leadership, faculty, staff, and attendees. A special part of the conference is an awards ceremony honoring two students each year with the Student Mental Health Advocate Award, which recognizes outstanding student leadership in the area of campus mental health. [...]as an adjunct educational event to DoCC, the Healthy Minds Network hosts an annual College Mental Health Research Symposium specifically for individuals interested in research on college student mental health.