Ashley Conway

Professor Barbara Kyle

ENC 3250
22 March 2015
Annotated Bibliography & Literature Review
Annotated Bibliography
Gold, Jenny. Triage System Helps Colleges Treat Mentally Ill Students. Kaiser Health News. 7
January 2013. Web. 16 March 2015. http://kaiserhealthnews.org/news/college-universitymental-health/
The author, Jenny Gold for Kaiser Health News evaluates what universities are doing to treat
students with mental illness. She is a propionate of the triage system. The triage system
determined the priority of a patients treatment by evaluating their condition through a set of
questions. This is the most widely used form of treatment in universities, and the University of
Central Florida alike. A problem with the triage system is that patients are categorized by
severity and received different levels of treatment based on their condition .If a student has a
mental illness, they should be treated equally and not pushed aside as this might discourage them
from seeking further treatment. Another component of the triage system is the referral process.
Once a student is evaluated, they are referred to off-campus, non university affiliated care.

Kirsch, Daniel J., Leonard A. Doerfler, and Debbie Truong. "Mental Health Issues Among
College Students: Who Gets Referred For Psychopharmacology Evaluation?." Journal Of
American College Health 63.1 (2015): 50-56. SPORTDiscus. Web. 2 Mar. 2015.

The authors, for the Journal of American College Health use data collected from 540 college
students to determine who and to what amount they are being referred to psychopharmacy
treatment. The students completed a report that measured depression, anxiety, suicide, and
substance abuse, which was then compared to the DSM (Diagnostic Statistic Manuel). The
results determined that depression, anxiety, and ADHD were common among college students
that were referred for psychopharmical care.

Nordberg, Samuel S.1,2, et al. "Treatment Utilization On College Campuses: Who Seeks Help
For What?." Journal Of College Counseling 16.3 (2013): 258-274. Education Full Text
(H.W. Wilson). Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
The study, which was completed by researchers for the Journal of College Counseling, had the
purpose of determining why college students seek out treatment for behavioral health issues.
They determined several predictors that differentiated those who seek treatment compared to
those who dont. Of those predictors were, for example, depression, eating concerns, substance
abuse, suicide attempts, family distress and more. It was important to understand why students
seek treatment for the final feasibility report.

Pointon, Clare. "The Changing Role Of The University Counseling Service." Therapy Today
25.8 (2014): 12-17. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.
Clare Ponton of Therapy Today describes her role in a university counseling center. Her article
describes how these institutions are becoming far too money hungry and are not meeting the
demands of the increasing mentally ill college student population. This article added a new

perspective to the research collected, by focusing on the business and economical side of the
argument, rather than the psychological side. She believes that Universities are not keeping up
with the increasing population of mentally ill and they need to reallocate funds so that students
are treated more effectively.

Wiedemann, Kira N. "One Student's Personal Experience with UCF's Counseling Center."
Personal interview. 08 Mar. 2015.
The interviewee, Kira Wiedemann is a student at the University of Central Florida who sought
treatment with the counseling center provided by the University. In the interview, Kira described
her dissatisfaction with how they assessed her and how they referred her to seek outside
treatment. The University, uses the triage system, and Ms. Wiedemann thought that this form
of treatment felt rushed and impersonal. This interview was crucial to the feasibility report, as it
gave a personal experience to the treatment being offered by the University.

Literature Review
Many studies have examined the mental health of college students and how their
respected universities treat behavioral health issues. The literature covers a variety of studies and
theories, however, this review will focus on the three major themes throughout the literature
reviewed. These themes are, how universities treat college students with mental health concerns,
what behavioral health issues are most prevalent among college students, and a personal
experience with the University of Central Floridas counseling center.
Throughout the literature reviewed, the triage system is the most common form of
treatment for mentally ill students at university counseling centers, including the University of
Central Florida. In the article written by Jenny Gold, it is stated that the average college
counseling center sees about 10 percent of the student body each year. With such a large
population seeking treatment, many universities have adapted using the triage system. Usually
students first call the counseling center and are either assessed over the phone or assessed in
person. They are asked a series of questions that determined the severity of their illness. After
that the students are seen two or three times and then are referred to seek off-campus care, such
as therapeutic treatment and/or pharmacological treatment. A problem in this, noted by Kira
Wiedemann, who was interviewed for this report is that students aren't getting adequate care by
their universities and felt that this process was rushed and impersonal. In the interview she states,
I had to tell someone everything I was feeling and open up to them on the spot, and once I did
that I was referred to someone else, not affiliated with the university and had to go through that
whole process again, which was difficult. With these two sources, one supporting the triage

system and one being against it, a clearer insight was gained as to why and how the triage
system should be updated or even removed by universities.
Determining the need for improved counseling at the University of Central Florida was
an important step in researching for the report. The journal of American College Healths article
on Mental Health Issues Among College Students: Who Gets Referred for Psychopharmacology
Evaluation sampled 540 college students in 6 different college counseling centers and the
results revealed that depression, anxiety, and ADHD were prevalent among college students. Of
the 540 student, over half were prescribed medication prior to evaluation. This raised the
question of why students weren't being evaluated and given medication before a proper
diagnosis? Clare Pointen, of Therapy Today believes that the university counseling system is
becoming too dependent on the financial aspect and are becoming market oriented. Of the 540
students evaluated in the study, 12 percent had thoughts of suicide. The journal for College
Counseling also performed a study on evaluating the need for treatment in Treatment Utilization
On College Campuses: Who Seeks Help For What?. This journal noted several underlying
factors that contribute to mental illness in college students. The study revealed that students who
had family distress, eating problems, substance abuse issues and more were more likely to seek
treatment and have a need for treatment.
The research collected marks a clear need for mental health treatment among college
students. The high statistics show that there are a significant amount of college students who
need treatment. From two of the sources it can be said that the current practices in treating
students is not entirely effective and there is a need for change and modernization. With 12% of
students having suicidal thoughts, universities should consider this a major health problem.