<p>I want to find out what small colleges in the northeast have good mental health support systems. My child does not have diagnosed learning disabilities, but is bipolar and has anxiety disorder. Any ideas, esp in Boston area??
Thanks</p>
<p>A good overview of what’s going on at some New England schools:</p>
<p>[Colleges</a> target mental health Campus groups, courses, online services help reduce the stigma of treatment - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/17/colleges_target_mental_health/]Colleges”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/04/17/colleges_target_mental_health/)</p>
<p>Two sites where you can find the names of good people to call and ask for their input on your question:</p>
<p>Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors
[AUCCCD</a> - Home](<a href=“http://www.aucccd.org/]AUCCCD”>http://www.aucccd.org/)</p>
<p>[The</a> National Mental Health Awareness Campaign Board of Directors](<a href=“http://www.nostigma.org/board_of_directors.php]The”>http://www.nostigma.org/board_of_directors.php)</p>
<p>Lastly, this looks like a relevant book:
DETOUR: MY BIPOLAR ROAD TRIP IN 4-D by Lizzie Simon</p>
<p>Hope this helps. Good luck!</p>
<p>OP - While traveling overseas my D picked up one of those “ain’t never seen that here” diseases. The university health center was clueless. And the local hospital Emergency Room staff weren’t interested in a patient that wasn’t bleeding or in respiratory arrest. Fortunately, D and a local specialist “found” each other. I don’t know if this approach would work for your child, but I can highly recommend that you at least consider it as there are LOTS of Bipolar specialist in the Boston area. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for those quick replies. I am going to use your recommendations! Any others are welcome!</p>
<p>It is certainly not a small school but I have heard that BU is very supportive for these issues.</p>
<p>Wherever your son lands, I recommend he read the website now, and seek out a local support chapter in his next community of NAMI, the National Alliance for Mental Illness. </p>
<p>Their approach is very grassroots and respectful. Rather than treating people as ill patients, they build them up and consider them “clients” not patients, and give each other many strategies for recovery. </p>
<p>They do not replace the medical community. They encourage compliance with medications and cooperation with doctors. But they really do something else very important: help people frame their lives in ways they will find success. </p>
<p>My brother worked for them for many years as an advocate. Some of the folks who attended meetings were in college, and they liked knowing people from many generations not just student-age. It gave them some perspective on the future. </p>
<p>Surely there are some chapters and meetings around the Boston area.</p>
<p>College of New Jersey has good support services.</p>