Harvard finally gets it right about calendar

Parents Forum
1

<p><a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.thecrimson.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Too bad they have to wait until 2009.</p>

2

<p>wow. this was the precise reason I didn't apply to Harvard back in the day!</p>

3

<p>I was more surprised by the "2 in 5 harvard seniors sought mental health treatment." :eek: that's a lot!</p>

4

<p>"Mental health treatment" probably includes any visit to a therapist, even once because of an ill relative, death in the family, general stress, problems with friends or boy/girlfriend or school that the student wanted to talk over with an objective third party...this doesn't mean that 40% of Harvard students have a diagnosed mental illness, just that they happened to want therapy at some time or another. I think it's great that so many students take advantage of the resources that are provided.</p>

5

<p>Use of mental health resources in a given community is way, way, more affected by (1) perceived stigma and (2) access than it is by rates of mental illness in that community. Harvard is pretty enlightened in the sense that there's not much stigma attached to seeking therapy, and for undergrads, access to care is unlimited, convenient, and free. Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing that rate go up; 18-22 is a stressful time of life for almost everyone, and Harvard is not a relaxing place to spend 4 years.</p>

<p>I'd bet you a lot of money that the rate of Katrina victims who got counseling is a lot lower than 2 in 5. It's not because they don't need help.</p>

6

<p>I think the mental health treatment use reflects socioeconomic class. Most upper middle class and affluent people I know use mental health services. That's not because they are more likely to have mental health problems than are other people. It's for the same reason that upper middle class and affluent people probably are more likely to use health services in general: They have the insurance and money that allows them to seek care for problems they have that people who lack such insurance can't afford to seek help for.</p>

7

<p>Most of them probably started counseling in HS.</p>