College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do About It - Softcover

Kadison, Richard; DiGeronimo, Theresa Foy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0787981141 ISBN 13: 9780787981143

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2005

Synopsis

Written for parents, students, college counselors, and administrators, College of the Overwhelmed is a landmark book that explores the stressors that cause so many college students to suffer psychological problems. The book is filled with insights and stories about the current mental health crisis on our nation's campuses and offers:

• A hands-on guide for helping students overcome stress and succeed in a college environment.
• An examination of the effects of such commonplace stress factors such as: identity development, relationships, sexuality, roommate problems, academic pressures, extracurricular demands, parental expectations, and racial and cultural differences that affect self-worth.
• Personal stories of students under stress and describes how they overcame a variety of problems.
• The warning signs and symptoms of common problems, including depression, sleep disorders, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, impulsive behaviors, and suicide.

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About this title

From the Inside Flap:

With the intense media focus on the rising number of suicides on college campuses, there is a desperate need to understand what can be done to prevent serious emotional and mental health problems among students. In a national survey, more than 50 percent of college students reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult for them to function during the past academic year.

Written for parents, students, college counselors, and administrators, College of the Overwhelmed is a landmark book that explores the stressors that cause so many college students to suffer psychological problems. The book is filled with insights and stories about the current mental health crisis on our nation’s campuses and offers a hands-on guide for helping students overcome stress and succeed in a college environment. Authors Dr. Richard Kadison–a national expert on the topic of campus mental health–and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo examine the effects of such commonplace stress factors as identity development, relationships, sexuality, roommate problems, academic pressures, extracurricular demands, parental expectations, and racial and cultural differences that affect self-worth. The book includes the personal stories of students under stress and describes how they overcame a variety of problems. The authors discuss the warning signs and symptoms of common problems, including depression, sleep disorders, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, impulsive behaviors, and suicide.

College of the Overwhelmed offers parents, college health services staff, and administrators a way to confront and deal with this ongoing crisis, showing them how to understand and recognize symptoms and act before it’s too late. The book includes a how-to chapter for parents and shows how parents can be involved and proactive in guarding their college-aged children’s mental health. In addition, this vital resource offers students checklists, tips, and advice for reducing the day-to-day stresses of college life.

From the Back Cover:

• THE CAMPUS MENTAL
• HEALTH CRISIS AND
• WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

FROM THE FOREMOST LEADER IN THE FIELD

An Action Plan for Confronting the SeriousPsychological Crisis Among Students

"Kadison, chief of mental health services at Harvard, and DiGeronimo are deeply concerned about the marked growth in serious mental health problems on campus: they note statistics showing that almost half of all students will become seriously depressed during their college career and may engage repeatedly in binge drinking. . . . Kadison and DiGeronimo do a commendable job of outlining the many stresses students face, such as academic pressure, financial problems, feelings of social inadequacy and, for women, a fear of sexual assault. In a stark chapter, the authors outline the self-destructive coping mechanisms adopted by those with emotional problems, including eating disorders, drug abuse, cutting, and suicide attempts. Parents will find sensible suggestions for helping their children deal with college life. Most important, say the authors, is keeping the lines of communication open by listening to children without judgment or criticism. Parents, college counselors and administrators, and students themselves (to whom the last chapter is addressed) will find helpful, if sometimes disturbing, information here." —Publishers Weekly

"A wise and highly readable guide."
—Elizabeth Studley Nathans, dean of freshman, Harvard College

"Excellent."
—Lorraine Siggins, M.D., psychiatrist-in-chief, Yale University Health Service; clinical professor of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

"An extraordinary book."
—Patricia Light, Ed.D., director, MBA Support Services, Harvard Business School

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0787981141
• ISBN 13: 9780787981143
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304