The number of students at the university who require counseling services has escalated in the past year, according to a report by the UC Student Mental Health Oversight Committee presented to the UC Board of Regents last month.

The committee called for a staffing increase to deal with high numbers of students needing psychological help, promotion of campus awareness and expansion of academic services to help students manage school-related stress, according to Michael Young, co-chair of the committee.

The regents approved an additional $8 million from 2008-09 student fees in October, after having previously approved $4 million in 2007-08 to improve mental health services systemwide.

In spite of systemwide budget shortfalls, mental health services remain a high priority for the university and are expected to continue to function next year without any budget reductions, according to UC spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez.

In the UC system last year, there was a 79 percent increase in psychiatric hospitalizations compared to the previous year. In addition, there has been a 70 percent increase in students seeking counseling services since 2000, according to Joel Dimsdale, co-chair of the committee.

There were 11 completed suicides at UC campuses last year, and that number has remained stable over the past few years, he added.

The committee was formed in 2005 in response to increases in the numbers of students experiencing severe psychological problems and the increased severity of those problems, Young said.

"What we saw was a change of what was happening among students," he said. "They then manifest themselves, disrupting the academic environment, and now we are seeing new levels of mental health, attempted suicide and homicide."

The Tang Center's services focus on both prevention and intervention strategies, geared toward getting students to recognize symptoms early on and to seek help when things become too serious, said Gloria Saito, director of training at Counseling and Psychological Services.

With the funding, the center was able to increase staff and training as well as expand its outreach to students. Trained staff members are now located in five different offices around the campus, allowing students to access services outside of the center itself, according to Saito.

"This change is based on the trend across the country of increasing severity of student concern and utilization of counseling services," she said. "Because there is so much stigma around mental health, we now provide a way for students to access us outside the office."

The center has also decreased wait times for people attempting to schedule their first counseling appointments, Saito said. The funding also contributed to the cancellation of initial appointment fees.

Despite the progress made, officials say the mental health programs still have a long way to go in providing students with quick and easy access to services for a variety of health-related issues.

"Its pretty clear to the community, the regents and the campus that mental health is really important," said Kim LaPean, communications manager for University Health Services. "It is a priority-not only in severity for the campuses, but nationwide."

Tags: UC REGENTS, MENTAL HEALTH, BUDGET CUTS