Concepts and Methods in Student Mental Health

Considering their potential contribution to the community, the growth of clinical services in relation to the specialized mental health problems of students in higher education has been haphazard. Although most universities have developed or are on the way to developing comprehensive health services on the lines recommended in the report of the Royal College of Physicians (1966), services in the non-university sector are often less than adequate. This report accepted as established that about 5 per cent of students have psychological disorders which cause serious distress, and a further 10 to 20 per cent have less severe though handicapping disorders. It was accepted that special provision would need to be made for these mental health problems, as part of the range of preventive and treatment activities relevant to a College community.