That's the focus tonight of# our series Rethinking College## and our reporting on Early Warnings:# America's Youth Mental Health We start with Yale University, which earlier# this year settled a lawsuit following the death## of a student by suicide in 2021.
According to the# agreement, the university will now allow students## more flexibility to take lighter course loads and# to keep their health care while on medical leave.
Yale agreed to the policy after a group# of alumni and students sued the school,## arguing the policies discriminated against# students with mental health issues.
Willow Sylvester is a Yale graduate# who was part of that lawsuit.
She## explained what things were# like before the settlement.
WILLOW SYLVESTER, Former Student, Yale# University: When I started at Yale I had to stop seeing my Fa st-forward to my senior year.
I was# a first-year counselor.
I was working## directly with first-year students.
And# almost every single one reported these## same feelings of feeling isolated on campus.# Mental Health Justice at Yale was founded in## the immediate aftermath of Rachael# Shaw-Rosenbaum's passing by suicide.
She was a first-year student.
The# resources that she lacked and the## policies that made her feel like she didn't# have the help that she needed were very,## very clear.
She had spoken publicly about feeling# this need to move down to a part-time course loa and if she could just move# down to part-time courses,## she would be able to get on top of her mental# health, Another thing which was also related to why# Rachael wanted to go part-time is maintaining## access to Yale's health insurance when you're# on leave or withdrawal.
If she had gone home## and taken a leave for her mental health, she# would lose access to her Yale health resources## and also her Yale mental health resources while# she was home.
And she knew that she needed those.
Both of those, as a result of the settlement,## are now something that students ca their Yale health insurance and students# can go down to a part-time cour We absolutely should not have had to# lose a life to get these changes rolling.
GEOFF BENNETT: Last year, North Carolina# State University saw 14 student deaths,## including seven by suicide, leading to concern# and criticism about the level of student support.
In a statement to the "NewsHour," North# Carolina State said it has expanded## mental health resources and access both on# campus and to the broader school community.## That includes nearly 30 more counselors# and clinical positions in recent years,## additional wellness days, greater peer# support, and new telehealth options.
Ireland White is a student who started# a mental health support group called the## Self Love Club and wants to see even more changes.
IRELAND WHITE, Student, North Carolina# State University: I started the club## in January of this year because# of the rec I thought one of the easiest ways I could# give back to my community was to start a## club.
We're just trying to build a community of# people who want to focus on themselves and try## to do something as a collective and create# a safe space for people on campus to talk.
There's a lot of anxiety with students today# of not being cool enough, not fitting in,## not belonging.
I also think that# schoolwork and just the amount of## pressure there is for deadlines in# college really contributes to this## feeling of anxiety.
Not only are you missing# out socially.
You're missing out academically.
And then there's also who's doing the best in# the class and this kind of competitive aspect## that you don't even realize takes a toll on how# you feel about yourself and your self-esteem.## It was really strange to just get an e-mail# saying, like, all these students had passed away,## instead of having a big community# meeting or a community gathering,## where we could actually discuss about how we# can go about this and how people are feeling.
They just kind of introduced the student mental# health task force and kind of called it a day.## Doubling the amount of counselors does not# translate to people are getting more help.## No matter what you're doing on any day# of the week, State has an event that's## going on right now that you could just# go to later tonight or in the morning.
There's always something going on.
But there's an## absence of people really talking about# mental health and how it affects them.
GEOFF BENNETT: Let's hear more# about what schools may need to do.
Dr. Jessi Gold is assistant professor of# psychi Dr. Gold, what's the main thing you hear from the## students you work with in terms# of what they'r DR. JESSI GOLD, Washington University in# St. Louis: I mean, college st always struggled.
It But I see anxiety.
I see depression.# College is also a time of exploration.## So we say substance use.
We see trouble# with concentration.
And then, obviously,## all of that's compounded by all of the changes# that have happened in the pandemic and then all## of the changes that continue to happen in# the world.
So it's just been really h And college students feel things# and feel things really strongly.
GEOFF BENNETT: Well, rates of anxiety, depression,## suicidal ideation on college campuses hav Is this a generational thing?
I mean, to your# point, there's something about attending college## that is inherently stressful.
That's always been# true.
What's different about the current moment?
DR. JESSI GOLD: I wish we could pinpoint# one thing and blame that one thing,## because I know people would love to blame things## social media and say it's just social# media And I don't think that's true.
I think we# definitely can say that has to be cause we didn't have social media before.# And that affects our mental health.
And we're## looking at news more often, more -- and the# information we're taking in is differen and the way that we're thinking# about things is different.
But then there's also the way that# we are inter and socializing is also different,# and there's a lot of loneliness.
And## that's contributing.
I think that we talk# about mental health more.
And, sometimes, that leads to overpathologizing meaning# that we're calling things depression and## anxiety with a big D and a big A, meaning# the diagnosis, as opposed to the symptom.
So I think it's good that we talk about# it more, but it might mean that people## then associate with the actual diagnosis, as# opposed to just the symptoms.
in this situation where it's hard to know,# is the person just struggling with the actual## feelings or are they actually struggling# something where they need to come see me?
GEOFF BENNETT: So, what more can universities# and colleges do to address the academic pre the loneliness that students are feeling?
Is this# a structural thing that colleges have to address?
DR. JESSI GOLD: There's definitely# structural points to it.
So we talk about, how is mental health# included in ever on in college campuses, right?
So, things# leave policies, if someone's really struggling, how do we make sure that, when they leave,# they feel comfortable asking for help,## that they feel comfortable coming back# on campus, that they're able to do tha That's really important.
There's mental health# in everything that we're doing.
But how do students feel comfortable talking# to faculty to begin with, to know that## those faculty feel comfortable# even talking to those students?
Because I see faculty too, and they don't --# they haven't had t They're not psychiatrists.
And they're often# the first people that come to students.
And## they're supposed to support them through# their mental health experiences as coaches,## as faculty members, as administrators.
And they# need the support to be able to do that too.
So how do we make it easier for# faculty to talk to students,## for students to feel comfortable talking# to faculty, for them so they get seen earlier, so then they come to# me and they can talk to each other ea GEOFF BENNETT: We have heard how# students say they want more transparency.
School administrators obviously have to# abide by health privacy an laws.
There might be concerns about# reputational damage to the colleges## and universities.
Some administrators have a# concern that the more they talk about suicide, that that might in some ways encourage# or might lead to more deaths by suicide.
How should university and college leaders,## how often should they talk about this# and ho DR. JESSI GOLD: So there's no evidence that the## more we talk about thing So, as a psychiatrist, we're encouraged to always# ask our patients about suicide.
that we're going to make patients then think# about it.
We don't implant those ideas.
In fact,## we support people by asking about those# things.
So it's important for college to## be a safe place to have those conversations# and for students to feel safe from the minute## they get on campus, to talk about mental# health from prevention to intervention.
The only way you do that is to change the# culture of how we talk about these things.## And you can't be scared to talk about it.# And we can't be just super reactionar where the only campuses that are doing things are# the campuses where something really bad happens GEOFF BENNETT: The campuses that are# getting it right, what are they doing,## the schools that help students do# their best and feel th DR. JESSI GOLD: I wish I could# tell you there's one good example,## and that that's the one to# emulate across the country And I don't know that we have, like, a# pe because every college is probably a# little bit different.
And so I think## colleges need to figure out exactly what their# population wants.
So, instead co okie-cutter mold of what everybody wants# and should be doing, we need to do that.
I think we need to have available# resources, of course, so that,## if people need care,they can get it.
But that# can't be the can't just say the answer is more therapists,# because you could always have more therapists,## and people will always use more therapists,# but you will run out of that as a resource.
So you have to start earlier with peer support,# with supporting faculty and staff and he students earlier, with helping students feel# comfortable talking to each other and noticing## signs and symptoms in themselves.
That sort of# thing is really easy, and it's not th and can make pretty big changes to how we talk# to each other and how we make changes on campus.
GEOFF BENNETT: Dr. Jessi Gold,# assistant professor of psychiatry## at the Washington University in# St. Louis, thanks for DR. JESSI GOLD: Thanks for having me.
GEOF call or text the suicide and crisis hot line# at 988.
You can also visit 988lifeline.org.