University officials expressed concern Friday about an increase in violent behavior among University students.
Although Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia M. Lampkin cited no specific incidents in a presentation to the Board of Visitors, the discussion came in the wake of a number of high-profile violent incidents, including one case early this year in which a student was charged with second-degree murder.
Lampkin said there is a national and University trend of increasing student violence and mental health problems.
"We are talking about a very small number of students, but implications for the larger community are serious," Lampkin said. "Even one instance is one too many."
Incidences of depression, use of antidepressant medication and numbers of students requiring hospitalization for psychiatric treatment are all increasing, according to a 2003 National College Health Assessment conducted by the American College Health Association. Lampkin cited the study in her presentation.
The study found that the frequency of violent behavior increases from two percent to 10 or 12 percent when psychiatric disorders are present, Lampkin said. When psychiatric disorders occur in conjunction with substance abuse, the study found a 64 percent increase in the frequency of violent behavior, she said.
University students were included in the national assessment. Forty percent of the 971 University participants acknowledged feeling so depressed one or more times that it was difficult to function. Overall, 36 percent of the University students were currently taking medication for a psychological or psychiatric condition.
"There is no way to know for sure how many students come here with pre-existing mental disorders or reliance on medications," Lampkin said. "But our own statistics show an increase in the number of students requiring hospitalization for psychiatric treatment."
Russ Federman, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said CAPS also has seen an increase in the past three to four years in students using psychiatric medication.
"Each year our psychiatric resources have been kind of stretched in a way that we've had to add a number of psychiatric hours to accommodate student demand," Federman said. "We're seeing less stigma attached to mental illness and mental health treatment."
Lampkin pointed to a number of societal factors that may lead to increased stress and depression in young people -- increased family mobility, higher divorce rates, technology-induced stress and isolation and new psychiatric medications. She also identified generation-specific factors such as earlier exposure to sex, drugs and alcohol.
"The students today at age 18, 19 and 20 are quite different than the students in school between 1960 and 1970," Federman said. "The students coming in today face some very significant stresses."
At the University, where the majority of students graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, many students may not be prepared for disappointment or "being average," Lampkin said.
"High IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, does not necessarily equal high EQ, or Emotional Quotient," Lampkin said.
The University has taken a number of initiatives to address these issues, Lampkin said. Alcohol Awareness week, depression screenings, new orientation and residence hall programming and multiple newsletters address issues of mental health and substance abuse. In addition, groups such as ADAPT, CAPS, Peer Health Educators and Mediation Services provide informative presentations, consultations other services to students.
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