U-M conference to focus on detection of mental illness during high stakes college years

The devastating shooting near Tucson, Ariz. that left six people dead and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically injured thrust mental health on college campuses back into the national spotlight.

In the tragedy's aftermath, many are questioning whether more could have been done to respond to shooting suspect Jared Loughner's increasingly disturbing behavior in his community college classes.

The annual University of Michigan's Depression on College Campuses conference, held March 28-29, will focus on detection of mental illness during the high stakes college years.

Experts agree that early detection and intervention can help stop the progression of mental illnesses and prevent infrequent but tragic violent attacks, but the broader - though less sensational - public health challenge of addressing mental health issues on college campuses has been largely left out of the national conversation.

For nearly a decade, the U-M's Depression on College Campuses conference has provided a forum for educators and medical professionals to discuss the latest developments in research and practical approaches to depressive illnesses in young adults.

This year's theme of "Early Detection and Intervention" supplies a thread for talks and panel discussions aimed at preventing tragedies large and small - including not only violence aimed at others, but suicide, eating disorders and withdrawal from life.

"For years, participants at the Depression on College Campuses Conference have presented compelling data confirming that depression, bipolar illness and related conditions among college students are a critical public health problem," says John Greden, M.D., executive director of the U-M Depression Center.

"The college years coincide with peak onset of depression, bipolar disorder, and most other mental illnesses, which are most treatable soon after onset. Our conference goals are to identify, articulate and plan ways in which campus leaders can implement earlier detection and intervention strategies. Only then will we help prevent the recurrences, lessen the huge burdens and high costs, and help prevent the terrible tragedies such as have occurred in Tucson," Greden continues. "We can and must do better."

College students face high internal and external pressures. In 2010, only 51.9 percent of college freshmen responding to a national survey reported that their mental health was good or above average - a record low, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported.

The March conference will feature a choice of intensive three-hour workshops in addition to keynote presentations, panel discussions, and concurrent sessions.

Keynote speakers include Gregory Eells, Ph.D., associate director for counseling and psychological services at Cornell University and Drew Westen, Ph.D., professor of psychology and psychiatry at Emory University.

Additional areas of focus will include:

•creatively imagining the role and use of technology in depression treatment
•successful models for campus peer-to-peer support programs
•evidence-based strategies for alcohol screening.

The conference will also feature two sessions aimed primarily at students: a workshop on creating community and strengthening social networks, and a panel discussion on the myriad challenges of managing depression in graduate school.

The audience for the conference, which will be held at U-M's Rackham Graduate School, includes: counselors, nurses, physicians, students, academic advisers, residence hall staff, university leaders and anyone with an interest in mental health among college students.