Ivy League schools have a responsibility to support student mental health

In this op-ed, Sofia Barnett calls on Ivy League schools to better support their students’ mental health.

Content warning: This story contains discussion of suicide.

Three days before my best friend in college attempted suicide, her emergency appointment the next day at our school’s counseling service was canceled. For months, she had been battling post-traumatic stress disorder and balancing the pressures of being a low-income student seeking mental health treatment while attending one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

As a student on nearly full financial aid from the university, she depended on the school’s support for her health, well-being and safety. Yet, as she told me, staying afloat as a low-income student with mental health issues and navigating an Ivy League education with insufficient mental health resources seemed like a losing battle. ‘advance.

Unfortunately, this is not a unique situation. In late 2018, the American College Health Association presented data showing that 40% of undergraduates reported depression so severe that it became difficult for them to function. The group’s statistics also indicate that in 2018, more than 10% of undergraduates had seriously considered suicide.

These numbers come from a pool that takes into account all colleges, but a 2019 report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine added young people from high-performing schools to its list of groups to risk. Ivy League communities include some of the highest-achieving students from around the world, and research suggests that these students may be two or three times more anxious and depressed than the average student.

But the responses from establishments have been insufficient for these students and, in some cases, even discriminatory. Over the past year, Princeton and Yale have both experienced significant backlash regarding their mental health support and leave policies.

A 2022 lawsuit filed against Yale alleged the school violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in its handling of students with mental health issues. The suit alleged, among other things, that Yale’s policies were harshest on mentally ill students from less privileged backgrounds, including students of color, students from poor families or rural areas, and international students. Yale agreed to settle the lawsuit and change some policies to make it easier for students to return from medical leave.