Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress makes the following findings: The 2011 Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors Survey found that the average ratio of counselors to students on campus is nearly 1 to 1,879 and is often far higher on large campuses. The International Association of Counseling Services accreditation standards recommends 1 counselor per 1,000 to 1,500 students. College Counselors report that 10.8 percent of enrolled students sought counseling in the past year, totaling an estimated 2,000,000 students.
Over 90 percent of counseling directors believe there is an increase in the number of students coming to campus with severe psychological problems; today, 44 percent of the students who visit campus counseling centers are dealing with severe mental illness, up from 16 percent in 2000, and 24 percent are on psychiatric medication, up from 17 percent in 2000. The majority of campus counseling directors report that the demand for services and the severity of student needs are growing without an increase in resources.
Many students who need help never receive it. Only 15 percent of college students who commit suicide received campus counseling. Of students who seriously consider suicide each year, only 52% of them seek any professional help at all. A 2012 American College Health Association
(ACHA)survey of more than 98,000 college and university students revealed that, within the last 12 months, 51 percent of students report having felt overwhelming anxiety, 31 percent felt so depressed it was difficult to function, and 46 percent felt hopeless. The ACHA survey found that 7.5 percent of students have seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. The National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education found that 6 percent of students have seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. The Research Consortium found that of those who have seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months, 52 percent sought no preferred help and only 54 percent told anyone that they were considering suicide. Research conducted between 1997 and 2009, and presented at the 118th annual convention of the American Psychological Association found that more students are grappling with depression and anxiety disorders than did a decade ago. The study found that of students who sought college counseling, 41 percent had moderate to severe depression in 2009, that number was 34 percent in 1997. A survey conducted by the University of Idaho Student Counseling Center in 2000 found that 77 percent of students who responded reported that they were more likely to stay in school because of counseling and that their school performance would have declined without counseling. Students with psychological issues often struggle academically and are at risk for dropping out of school. Counseling has been shown to address these issues while having a positive impact on students remaining in school. A 6-year longitudinal study found college students receiving counseling to have an 11.4 percent higher retention rate than the general university population (Turner & Berry, 2000). A national survey of college students living with mental health conditions, conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Health, found that 64 percent of students who experience mental health problems in college and withdraw from school do so because of their mental health issues. The survey also found that 50 percent of that group never accessed mental health services and supports.