Higher education and psychiatric disabilities: national survey of campus disability services.

Students with psychiatric disabilities are an increasing presence on college and university campuses. However, there is little factual information about the services available to these students in campus disability services offices or the extent to which they use these services. This article reports the results of a survey of disability services offices at colleges and universities in 10 states. Data from 275 schools revealed the number of students with psychiatric disabilities seeking assistance from disability services offices, characteristics of these offices, and the types of services they provide. Survey data also identified barriers to full participation of these students in academic settings. Implications of the study are discussed to inform policy and postsecondary institutional practices with the goal of better serving psychiatrically disabled students to maximize their talents and potential.

[1]  Gordon J. Hewitt,et al.  Faculty and Instructor Perception of Disability Support Services and Student Communication , 1999 .

[2]  H. Reinherz,et al.  Ages of onset of psychiatric disorders in a community population of older adolescents. , 1994, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[3]  C. Mowbray,et al.  Supported education programming for adults with psychiatric disabilities: results from a national survey. , 2003, Psychiatric rehabilitation journal.

[4]  E. S. Rogers,et al.  A supported education program for young adults with long-term mental illness. , 1991, Hospital & community psychiatry.

[5]  F. Hoffmann,et al.  The mentally ill student on campus: theory and practice. , 1989, Journal of American college health : J of ACH.

[6]  D. Offer,et al.  The disturbed adolescent goes to college. , 1987, Journal of American college health : J of ACH.

[7]  D. Bybee,et al.  Supported education for individuals with psychiatric disabilities: Long-term outcomes from an experimental study , 1999 .

[8]  R. Bland,et al.  Major Depressive Disorder , 1994 .

[9]  Acsw John T. Pardeck.  Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 , 1997 .

[10]  D L Newman,et al.  Psychiatric disorder in a birth cohort of young adults: prevalence, comorbidity, clinical significance, and new case incidence from ages 11 to 21. , 1996, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[11]  W. Iacono,et al.  Establishing the onset of psychotic illness. , 1993, The American journal of psychiatry.

[12]  John B. Bishop.  The University Counseling Center: An Agenda for the 1990s. , 1990 .

[13]  K. Unger.  Creating supported education programs utilizing existing community resources. , 1993 .

[14]  P. J. Carling.  Reasonable accommodations in the workplace for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. , 1993 .

[15]  R. Wilk.  Federal legislation for rights of persons with mental illness: obstacles to implementation. , 1993, The American journal of orthopsychiatry.

[16]  K. Unger.  Handbook on Supported Education: Providing Services for Students With Psychiatric Disabilities , 1998 .

[17]  W. Anthony,et al.  Supported employment for persons who are psychiatrically disabled: An historical and conceptual perspective. , 1987 .

[18]  Ronald C. Kessler,et al.  Early-Onset Psychiatric Disorders and Male Socioeconomic Status , 1998 .

[19]  K. Unger.  Access to educational programs and its effect on employability. , 1994 .

[20]  S. L. Benton,et al.  Changes in counseling center client problems across 13 years. , 2003 .

[21]  E. S. Rogers,et al.  Vocational outcomes following psychosocial rehabilitation: A longitudinal study of three programs. , 1991 .

[22]  D. Bybee,et al.  Effectiveness of Supported Education for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities: Results from an Experimental Study , 1998, Community Mental Health Journal.

[23]  E. M. Szymanski,et al.  Career and Career‐Related Educational Concerns of College Students With Disabilities , 1996 .

[24]  S. Faraone,et al.  Gender Differences in Age at Onset of Schizophrenia , 1994, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[25]  T. Wykes,et al.  Community rehabilitation: past failures and future prospects , 2000 .

[26]  J. Weiner,et al.  Concerns and Needs of University Students with Psychiatric Disabilities. , 1996 .

[27]  Nicky Stanley, Jill Manthorpe.  Responding to students' mental health needs: Impermeable systems and diverse users , 2001 .

[28]  R. Kessler,et al.  Social consequences of psychiatric disorders, I: Educational attainment. , 1995, The American journal of psychiatry.

[29]  D. Bybee,et al.  Follow-up client satisfaction in a supported education program. , 2001, Psychiatric rehabilitation journal.

[30]  C. Mowbray,et al.  Raising our sites: Dissemination of supported education , 2001, The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research.

[31]  A. Levine,et al.  What We Know: About Today's College Students , 1998 .

[32]  R. Harrington,et al.  Prevention and early intervention for depression in adolescence and early adult life , 1998, European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience.

[33]  S. Beratis,et al.  Age at onset in subtypes of schizophrenic disorders. , 1994, Schizophrenia bulletin.

[34]  R. Kessler,et al.  The prevalence and distribution of major depression in a national community sample: the National Comorbidity Survey. , 1994, The American journal of psychiatry.