Student Mental Health in the Legislature and at Brown

Representative Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA-32) has recently introduced bills in Congress that address the mental health of people across the country — more specifically, the mental health of young people. One such bill, H.R.721, better known as the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021, allows America’s children to have increased access to mental health resources. She also presented a similar bill in the last session of Congress, signaling its importance. 

The bill would primarily grant particular statutory authorities to the Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) State Educational Agency Grant Program which is managed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Statutory authorities outline the powers of government agencies. It would allow the Department of Education to provide services to elementary and secondary school students “dealing with traumatic experiences, grief, bereavement, risk of suicide, and violence” to seek care and support that shall be “developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate; [...] trauma-informed; and incorporate positive behavioral interventions and supports.” The bill also asks for programs under this umbrella to be evaluated for effectiveness as a way to ensure the appropriateness of funds.

This act includes some amendments to the larger, more dominating bill regarding mental health: the Public Health Service Act. Enacted in 1944, this code has received numerous amendments over nearly eight decades. The word “college” or “university” only appears seven unique times in the act, and very few of the amendments focused on actually changing the resources or cultures associated with mental wellbeing in higher education. Given that the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021 only encompasses elementary and secondary education, which is defined by the government as a typical K–12 pathway, college students are being left behind.

What Rep. Napolitano is doing in the legislature is a noble entrance into mental health awareness for the next generation of innovators and changemakers in elementary, middle, and high school. While the bill is being cosponsored by dozens of congressmen and congresswomen, the bill still lacks real-world emphasis for all students. University students deserve this awareness and update, too. There are parts of H.R. 721 that address underage drinking, substance use disorders, and mental health outreach for college students, but the impacts are lackluster. 

Back in 2004, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was passed with findings about how mental health impacts students, one of the most startling statistics being that “suicide is the third overall cause of death among college-age students” according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Additionally, according to the American College Health Association (ACHA), “61 percent of college students reported feeling hopeless, 45 percent said they felt so depressed they could barely function, and 9 percent felt suicidal.” Again, while these discoveries certainly underscore the detrimental nature that mental health can have on students, it neither adequately identifies the causes nor allocates resources for mental illness. In many cases, too, these resources are for public institutions and are not distributed to private ones, especially competitive, high-achieving ones like Brown, where often students are found to have higher incidence rates for mental illness.

How does this affect university students, specifically Brown students? There are funds available through the amended sections of the Public Health Service Act that Congress has passed that universities like Brown could accept. However, the federal government in their annual budget could save student lives by allocating a greater portion of money toward all mental health services, but especially for those at universities. The current generation needs this support in order to continue to innovate, create, change, and grow the world.

In the meantime, the Brown administration should strongly consider stronger financial devotion and commitment to mental health support. While the new Health and Wellness Center — where Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and a university pharmacy is now housed (located at 450 Brook Street) — is a step in the right direction, there is still more that can be done. 

For example, there are students that feel as though CAPS cannot adequately provide support due to their identities being “missing” from the available counselors. It can also be nerve-wracking to switch counselors after not “clicking” with any previous ones. This is neglecting that it can also be difficult to find a time for an appointment that works with a student’s busy schedule, especially given the current policy of next-day-only appointment scheduling, unless of course you met with a counselor at the beginning of the semester. Perhaps the university could invest in hiring another slate of counselors to accommodate the increase in students seeking counseling. 

CAPS is also lacking a bit in providing resources for students outside of their normal working hours. The after-hours line, before being connected with a counselor or therapist, says something to the tone of ‘this call may be recorded for quality assurance.’ Someone who might be looking to keep their confidentiality would be scared off. In trying to speak to a provider on HealthiestYou — a new partnership Brown is supposed to be providing its students with — signing into or creating an account to do so is a hassle at best, and calling support after failing to log in resulted in a request to pay $45 for the first session.

Not to mention, all of CAPS’ offerings come at “no additional cost to students” so long as students have already paid the Health Services Fee of $503 for the Spring 2022 semester. Brown could easily cover this fee for all students, perhaps through government grants. Providing easier access to support services through improved scheduling, more counselors, and working after-hours options. 

To Washington and Brown: Provide more resources. Invest in these young people with bright futures. The Biden administration could really make this a large campaign, garnering support from all sorts of high-profile people who have struggled with mental health but have found strength in seeking therapy or counseling. Brown, given its recent influence on matters of public health, should be one of the loudest voices campaigning and advocating for improved legislation and funding with regard to university-aged mental health resources. Rep. Napolitano is paving the way. Let’s join her. Now is the time. 

(Sidenote: Mental health is something that affects everyone, albeit in different capacities. Sometimes the debilitating factors of mental health are often not considered or realized until it becomes personal. Check up on friends, family. Take care of them. Listen. But most importantly, take care of yourself. This world is beautiful with you in it. Here are some CDC resources. Here are some Brown BWell resources. Here are some ESV resources.)

Connor Wayne Kraska is a junior at Brown University studying Economics and International and Public Affairs. He currently serves as a Staff Writer for the Brown Undergraduate Law Review and can be contacted at connor_kraska@brown.edu.