May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and with that in mind, the blog is taking the opportunity to discuss mental health trends in higher education and Western’s proposed legislative package to increase access to support services on campus. Mental health disorders are a major barrier to academic progress, and as the Center for Collegiate Mental Health reports, self-reported distress levels for depression and anxiety among college students across the country has increased each of the past six years.

Western students are experiencing similar trends regarding mental health highlighted by growing demand for mental health services. For example, between the 2010-11 and 2014-15 academic years, the number of clients visiting Western’s Counseling Center increased by 18.5%, while staffing levels remained the same. During the same time span, WWU’s disAbility Resources for Students experienced more than a 100% increase in the number of cases that involve a mental health-related diagnosis. According to a survey of non-returning students who left in good academic standing, personal health/mental health were cited among the top three reasons for leaving Western.

To address growing demand for support services that help students thrive, Western has a Student Success and Achievement package. The proposal requests state funding to invest in mental health support, student advising, academic tutoring support, disability support for students, and Destination Graduation, a college completion program for returning students. Investing in evidence-based support services help students graduate and helps maximize a return on the state’s investment in higher education. The House of Representatives included funding for support services at Western in their biennial budget proposal.

You can find previous blog posts related to Western’s student success package here and here, and you can follow WWU Government Relations on Twitter here.