Abstract:

This concerning trend in mental health service usage indicates an urgent need to better understand the factors that influence whether students seek help for mental health issues. Rates of mental illness are rising on college campuses nationwide, but many students in need of mental health care do not receive it. Additionally, Harvard’s campus mental health services, CAMHS, has been the topic of much controversy over the past year, but it is unclear how the average Harvard student perceives CAMHS. In response to these questions, I used a qualitative, open-ended survey and supplemental interviews to explore Harvard students’ thoughts on CAMHS. Five themes characterized students’ perceptions and experiences of CAMHS: issues related to CAMHS’ lack of resources, experiences with individual counselors, CAMHS’ diversity problem, CAMHS’ short-term approach to care, and the broader system unifying CAMHS with other parts of the College. Students’ views of CAMHS were quite variable; overall, however, administrative and resource-related aspects of CAMHS emerged as highly salient barriers to help-seeking. Meanwhile, experiences with individual counselors and CAMHS’ convenient location and affordability comprised its main perceived benefits. Individual factors, such as race, sexuality, urgency of mental health concerns, and experiences of close peers, may tip the balance between these costs and benefits to determine help-seeking behavior. Overall, this project’s findings constitute a nuanced picture of students’ experiences of campus mental health services and point to several areas of improvement for CAMHS and Harvard College.

Rates of mental illness are rising on college campuses nationwide, but many students in

need of mental health care do not receive it.

Additionally, Harvard’s campus mental health services, CAMHS,

has been the topic of much controversy over the past year, but it is unclear how the average

Harvard student perceives CAMHS. In response to these questions, I used a qualitative, open-

ended survey and supplemental interviews to explore Harvard students’ thoughts on CAMHS.

Five themes characterized students’ perceptions and experiences of CAMHS: issues related to

CAMHS’ lack of resources, experiences with individual counselors, CAMHS’ diversity problem,

CAMHS’ short-term approach to care, and the broader system unifying CAMHS with other parts

of the College. Students’ views of CAMHS were quite variable; overall, however, administrative

and resource-related aspects of CAMHS emerged as highly salient barriers to help-seeking.

Meanwhile, experiences with individual counselors and CAMHS’ convenient location and

affordability comprised its main perceived benefits. Individual factors, such as race, sexuality,

urgency of mental health concerns, and experiences of close peers, may tip the balance between

these costs and benefits to determine help-seeking behavior. Overall, this project’s findings

constitute a nuanced picture of students’ experiences of campus mental health services and point

to several areas of improvement for CAMHS and Harvard College.

Notes: