That long-term relationship ended, you failed an exam, your disorder is resurfacing or your roommate keeps you up till 3 a.m. every night.
All of those cases and more are brought before the almost 20 employees at Ohio University’s Counseling and Psychological Services on an annual basis, and their caseload is only getting larger.
CPS had 4,782 total appointments during Fall Semester — with 2,755 of those appointments coming in the final five weeks of the 16-week semester.
During the 11-week Fall Quarter in 2011, CPS totaled 3,277 appointments.
“I could quadruple the budget (at CPS) in terms of the numbers of counselors and psychologists and psychiatrists and there would still be that demand — they would not have people sitting around idle,” said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student Affairs.
From the 2009-10 academic year to the 2011-12 academic year, CPS saw an 8.4 percent increase in individual appointments, or recurring appointments scheduled by students with their assigned counselors, year after year, according to CPS data.
Psychiatric appointments alone saw a 33.9 percent jump during that period, as CPS hired a full-time psychiatrist during the 2010-11 academic year, according to Alfred Weiner, director of CPS for three years and a member of the 45-person staff.
“This Fall Semester we got hit pretty bad in terms of the demand for services,” Weiner said.
The increase in appointments for Fall Semester can be attributed to an increase in staffing to meet demand, according to Paul Castelino, associate director of CPS.
“We had a situation where students were having to wait several weeks (for a follow-up appointment),” Weiner said. “They would come in and have an initial consult but ’til they could get a regular counselor would take a few weeks.”
CPS moved from North Green to Cady Hall on South Green during Spring Semester while Hudson Health Center, its former home, is being renovated.
“The renovations were sorely needed,” Weiner said. “We needed a better reception area and waiting room area that would facilitate the flow of our administrative process.”
Jake Crosen, a freshman from Springboro, Ohio, has used CPS since the middle of Fall Semester when his bipolar disorder caused him to return to suicidal tendencies.
“CPS has done a really good job,” Crosen said. “I was surprised with how well they handled it … the people I’ve met at CPS have been professional and able to handle many issues.”
Because he got the help he needed at CPS, Crosen said he is cutting down the number of visits he makes to the center this semester.
Weiner, a seasoned veteran of addressing the psychological problems of OU students, said he has seen the severity of cases rise in the past decade from smaller problems like homesickness to more severe challenges similar to Crosen’s.
“Through the year, we probably see about 1,500 students a year here … Fifteen years ago, the predominant complaint was depression. Last five to 10 years, it’s all about anxiety,” Weiner said. “The seriousness of the problems is way beyond what we used to see.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
