6 Mental Health, Students, and the Classroom
Laura Brown and Amy Minix
Background
Attending university can cause a range of emotions, but recent research conducted by the World Health Organization found that 35% of students struggled with mental illness; Randy P. Auerback, Psychology Professor at Columbia University, surveyed around 14,000 first-year students from the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Spain, and the United States.
Major depressive disorder (21.2%) and anxiety disorder (18.6%) were the most common mental illnesses reported. [1] These numbers are likely reflected within your own classroom and impact student performance and success. Recognizing possible indicators and resources can help make a difficult situation seem less daunting.
The Instructor’s Role
The responsibilities of instructors can feel like a never ending laundry list of tasks to do. Between designing courses, creating lesson plans, grading assignments, and teaching classes, adding one more responsibility in the mix can seem impossible. What is an instructor’s role when it comes to addressing mental health in the classroom? Di Placito-De Rango (2018) states, “as supporters or promoters of student mental health, instructors can undertake particular actions” (p. 286). These actions can include sharing resources about mental health services on the syllabus or talking about ways to stay organized and on task during the course of the semester.
Another way to provide students the opportunity to share any concerns is by creating a general survey. Survey items can include student rank, previous courses, and other general information but could include a general question such as “is there anything else you want me to know?” An instructor could preface this question in class by asking if there’s anything the professor should know that could impact students’ performance in the classroom. Something open-ended allows students to share anything of importance, which may or may not include mental health concerns.
Behaviors to Recognize
Understanding behaviors to be cognizant and mindful of can be difficult for instructors, especially when teaching large courses with hundreds of students. However, there are still ways to recognize a disruption in a student’s well-being, which may or may not be related to mental health. As Di Placito-De Rango (2018) mentions, it is not the responsibility of instructors to diagnose students, but rather act as a screening process for noticing stress or change in academic involvement and performance. Below is a list of behaviors and signs to be mindful of in the classroom.
Signs to Watch for Include:
| Changes in behavior | Example: in a large class a student generally performed well and then missed a large assignment or quiz. This could indicate something is disrupting the well-being of the student (this “screening” can be done by Associate Instructors (AIs) if time and scope are limited).
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| Personality change | AIs and UTAs can be particularly useful at noticing a shift when courses are large. In smaller classes, it can look like a big personality suddenly becoming reserved or quiet or a reserved student acting more brashly. |
| Distancing from peers or friends | This tendency is likely less noticeable in the classroom, but can be a sign nonetheless. It can look like isolation or withdrawal, particularly if the student has other friendships or connections within the course. |
| Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate | Distraction and moments of lack of interest are not uncommon, but can look different given the context of the situation. Is it midterms week and students are generally overwhelmed and distracted? Is a student who is typically engaged seeming aloof? Are concepts or materials covered in a particular session difficult to grasp?
Using best judgement to determine if additional support is needed and what that can look like (not making assumption, but working with students to see if and how you can help). |
Taking Action: Next Steps to Support Students
The following is a list of suggested protocols once you recognize cause for concern
- Talk to the director of undergraduate/graduate studies. Discuss the situation and discuss how to best document the situation and move forward.
- Reach out to the Dean of Students office. This office is equipped to provide support and protocols to follow. Information about specific contacts on campus is provided in the link below.
- Submit a Care Referral if you are concerned about the safety or well-being of an IUB student.
- In an emergency situation, contact Indiana University Police Department. In non-emergency situations, IUPD can also come in and do a security check; they work closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and other groups to identify the most appropriate plan of action.
Examples of Mental Health Narratives from the 2019 IU Bloomington STEM Course Climate Survey
“There were unwritten rules to disregard my own mental health for the sake of the course or engage in risky or unethical or unhealthy behavior either for classes or in response to the stress of classes.”
“I have social anxiety, so many times having roles not explicitly stated to me makes me unsure of what to do and unable to ask.”
Support for Faculty at Indiana University
The Office of Student Welfare and Title IX provides information about Campus Resources for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Assistance for all Indiana University campuses. This link provides specific contacts for CAPS, Dean of Students, and IUPD based on the campus.
Support for Students
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
- Provides care for serious mental health crises as well as support for other problems students may want to discuss.
- CAPS offers free first two sessions per semester for those who pay the IU Health Fee
Disability Services for Students (DSS)
- Specializes in assisting with various disabilities including: physical, psychological, learning, neurological, medical, vision, hearing, and temporary impairment
- DSS works with both students and their instructors to facilitate accommodations and other resources
- Tutoring, mentoring and internship programs, housing and transportation service, and community
References and further readings
- Auerbach, R., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J. Benjet, C. Cuijpers,. . . Kessler, R.C. (2018). WHO world mental health surveys international college student project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127(7), 623-638.
- Di Placito-De Rango, M.L. (2018). Situating the post-secondary instructor in a supportive role for the mental health and well-being of students. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 16(2), 284-290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1146.
- Eichler, R., & Schwartz, V. (2010). Essential services in college counselling. In J. Kay & V. Schwartz (Eds.), Mental health care in the college community (57–93). West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Eva, A.L. (2019, January 11). How colleges today are supporting student mental health. Greater Good Magazine: Science-Based Insights for a Meaningful Life. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_colleges_today_are_supporting_student_mental_health.
- (2018). Responding to mental health issues in the college
classroom. Communication Education, 67(3), 399-404. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2018.1465191. -
Ketchen Lipson, S., Lattie, E.G. & Eisenberg, D. (2019). Increased rates of mental health service utilization by U.S. college students: 10-year population-level trends (2007–2017). Psychiatric Services, 70(1), 60-63. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201800332.
- White, A. & LaBelle, S. (2019). A qualitative investigation of instructors’ perceived communicative roles in students’ mental health management. Communication Education 68(2), 133-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2019.1571620.
- Auerbach, R., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J. Benjet, C. Cuijpers,. . . Kessler, R.C. (2018). WHO world mental health surveys international college student project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127(7), 623-638. ↵
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