A medida que los estudiantes universitarios regresan al campus en las próximas semanas, los expertos en salud mental llaman tanto a los estudiantes como a los padres a familiarizarse con los recursos de salud mental que ofrece la escuela.

Tres de cada cinco estudiantes universitarios en todo el país informaron que un profesional les ha diagnosticado ansiedad, depresión u otra afección de salud mental, según dice una encuesta de Harris publicada este año.

Virginia Rodilla, de la Alianza Nacional sobre Enfermedades Mentales en Carolina del Norte, dice que el coronavirus ha interrumpido la preparación para un nuevo capítulo, especialmente para los estudiantes de primer año que ingresan a la universidad.

"Muchos jóvenes estuvieron atrapados en casa," dice Rodilla. "Dependiendo de las redes sociales y el tiempo de pantalla, menos interacción social y mucha incertidumbre en torno a la pandemia y los problemas sociales."

Ella agrega que si bien las universidades generalmente no cuentan con personal para manejar trastornos psiquiátricos graves, los consejeros ubicados en los centros de salud y bienestar son una primera opción para los estudiantes que viven en el campus. Si usted o alguien que conoce puede estar considerando suicidarse, comuníquese con la Línea Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio o al 9-8-8.

Rodilla señala que los estudiantes más jóvenes pueden estar acostumbrados a que alguno de sus padres maneje las necesidades de atención médica o haga citas, y pueden no saber los detalles de su plan de seguro médico y lo que cubre, si están asegurados.

Ella señala que también hay lugares para los estudiantes que están lejos de casa. NAMI North Carolina tiene una línea de ayuda, al 1-800-451-9682, disponible de lunes a viernes, de nueve a cinco. Ella dice que los expertos están de guardia para ayudar a conectar a los estudiantes con los recursos adecuados.

"Después de ese horario, un estudiante puede enviar un mensaje de texto con la palabra NAMI al 741-741," informa Rodilla. "Y eso es para las 24 horas del día, nunca cierra, y un profesional de ayuda puede dirigir a esa persona a los servicios de ayuda."

Agrega que NAMI está trabajando en los campus de todo el estado.

"Si alguien alguna vez está interesado en generar conciencia sobre la salud mental en su campus, formar grupos de apoyo para estudiantes, tener eventos de conciencia y salud, eventos saludables," subraya Rodilla. "Pueden trabajar para formar un club NAMI On Campus en su escuela."

En todo el país, las personas están cada vez más informadas sobre la salud mental. En una encuesta de 2019 realizada por la Asociación Estadounidense de Psicología, casi el 90% de los adultos estuvo de acuerdo en que tener una afección de salud mental no es algo de lo que deban avergonzarse, y el 86% dijo que cree que las personas con trastornos de salud mental pueden mejorar.

El apoyo para este reportaje fue aportado por la Fundación Lumina.

More than 1,000 family members of firefighters who died in the line of duty, including some from Texas, will gather in Emmitsburg, Maryland, starting this Friday, to honor their loved ones.

The occasion is the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend and 13 of the firefighters being honored are from Texas.

Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the National Firefighters Foundation, said their names will be added to a memorial wall.

"Every firefighter that's died in the line of duty since 1981 has their name inscribed on a bronze plaque that's mounted on a marble wall," Stagnaro explained. "The monument itself at the center is a marble sphere, I would say, and there's a flame that never goes out."

Fire chiefs from around the country will present the families with a rose, a badge and an American flag flown at the U.S. Capitol and the memorial site. Anyone who would like to honor the firefighters can participate in "Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters," this Wednesday through Sunday night, by lighting their homes, businesses and other landmarks with red lights, or by signing a virtual remembrance banner on the foundation's website.

The Foundation was formed in 1992 to not only honor those firefighters who pass away but provide support for their relatives. Through a "Fire Hero Family Network," survivors are matched with others who have similar experiences and circumstances. Stagnaro pointed out assistance is available for however long it's needed.

"We continue to support those families -- through scholarships, through wellness conferences, we have kid's camps -- all other types of activities to help support those families throughout the year," Stagnaro outlined.

He added relatives of people honored in previous years will be in attendance this weekend to offer support to those who are just beginning their journey. This year's tribute is for 226 fallen firefighters nationwide.


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Rates of suicide among young people have increased by about 36% in roughly the last two decades and the surge has caught the attention of federal policymakers.

The Biden administration has a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and a Federal Action Plan, highlighting the need for a coordinated approach to prevention and equity in treatment and research. It follows the Bipartisan Policy Center's launch of a youth mental health task force in January.

Val Demings, co-chair of the Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Task Force and a former member of Congress from Florida, said in Sioux Falls last week rural communities face unique mental health challenges.

"For example, having access to care, the affordability of care, removing the stigma," Demings outlined. "You may be in a substandard educational setting. You may also have substance abuse, addiction in the household. And so we have got to, as a nation, deal with the social ills that cause decay in certain communities in the first place."

A big focus of the task force is a link between suicide and increased use of technology and social media. The U.S. Surgeon General said young teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media are at double the risk of mental health struggles, including depression and anxiety.

Technology can also be used to help deliver health care services in rural places. In 2021, the Helmsley Charitable Trust launched a virtual crisis care program in South Dakota, equipping law enforcement with iPads, so they can connect people with mental health professionals by video.

Walter Panzirer, trustee of the trust, has seen positive results.

"We had a 75% reduction of transports to the mental health facilities," Panzirer pointed out. "They were able to get care at home, locally; 25% of the calls were for youth."

People living in rural places are almost twice as likely to complete suicide than those living in large cities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency said South Dakota had the fifth-highest suicide rate in the country in 2021 at over 200 deaths.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

New continuing education classes can help New York psychologists better work with disabled patients.

The courses center on understanding disabilities - providing universal access for patients with disabilities, ethics, and cultural competence.

Sharon McLennon-Wier, Ph.D. - executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York - said in developing the curriculum, there were certain takeaways people should have.

"The first step really is for people to understand that a disability is a disability, and there are going to be barriers to the environment with it," said McLennon-Wier. "And we need to work together to ensure that each and every person has access to treatment."

Other takeaways are ensuring clinicians are aware of their expectations, noting they're not trained to work with every single client.

It's taken two years to get these courses up and running, and McLennon-Wier said she is eager to see how these will shape up.

The first course begins on May 29 and anyone interested can register online at www.cidny.org/ce.

There's also a hope psychologists will learn about confronting their stigmas toward disabilities.

McLennon-Wier said she feels this begins by looking through the lens of ableism. She said people should consider how they implement universal access for disabled patients.

"Does your biases prevent you from utilizing the knowledge of treatment that you have?" said McLennon-Wier. "Does it work with what's needed by that person who has a disability because first is the treatment practice, but also you have to understand the implications of disabilities."

Other considerations should be given to issues like the segregation disability creates. She said she thinks certain determinants of health like race and gender also impact a person's mental health.

Future classes could deal with different psychological treatments with an infusion of multicultural disability competence.