UNC suicides heighten need for mental health services

Following two recent suicides at UNC-Chapel Hill, a recent call for more to be done about mental health concerns in the state has taken on more urgency.

Hospitals, healthcare clinics, and other groups have called for a bipartisan plan to improve North Carolina’s mental health system. They called it a mental health “state of emergency” in an open letter to Governor Roy Cooper in June of 2021.

“While mental illnesses are highly treatable, North Carolina has fallen short in providing a behavioral health system that is accessible and accountable for its outcomes,” reads the letter. “For example, a 2021 State of Mental Health in America Report by Mental Health America has ranked North Carolina 44th among states for access to mental health care. The same report ranked North Carolina 45th in the country for youth mental health. Sadly, what we have today is failing our patients and our communities. The past piecemeal approach to building a behavioral health system is now grossly failing patients at a time when we are in a full-blown state of emergency with climbing suicide rates, emergency rooms filled with children in crisis, and diminishing behavioral health services close to home.”

They also noted inequitable treatment and use of medicine between different races in the system. For the Anson community to seek help locally, residents can reach out to Sandhills Behavioral Center in Wadesboro.

The issues have only seemed to worsen. Those struggling with mental health either end up in jail or the emergency room, according to the North Carolina Healthcare Association when they spoke with NC Health News. The NC Court of Appeals upheld the practice of allowing involuntary commitment for at least 90 days, with a 91% increase in involuntary confinement since even before the pandemic. According to Representative Carla Cunnigham, her daughter was turned away and two others were forced on the floor and in a hallway chair.

“Who wants their kids to sleep on the floor?” Cunningham said. “Who wants their child who is sick and suicidal and feels like they don’t have a purpose for living to sleep on a floor? That does nothing but strip her dignity.”

Issues were also heightened this past month at UNC-Chapel Hill when at least two students committed suicide.

“We are in the middle of a mental health crisis, both on our campus and across our nation, and we are aware that college-aged students carry an increased risk of suicide,” Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz wrote on October 10.

The school proposed a Wellness Day on October 12 to reflect on the deaths and lift spirits. People decorated The Pit and other landmarks as memorials, played with emotional support dogs from local nonprofit Eyes, Ears, Nose and Paws; had doughnuts, did yoga, talked with UNC Student Wellness, and received hugs from moms.

The women’s soccer team also dedicated their October 20 game to mental health awareness. UNC campuses had much to address with it taking up to three weeks to talk to a counselor and turning students away, “strained capacity,” inequity in resources, lack of diversity, and students asking where the help was when they needed it. “An emphasis on student wellness should not be conditional on students experiencing tragedies,” wrote Caitlyn Yaede for The Daily Tar Heel.

UNC campuses, as well other colleges across the state, have been implementing new mental health initiatives and programs. The report “Healthy Minds, Strong Universities: Charting a Course to More Sustainable Student Mental Health Care” given to the UNC Board of Governors provided eight recommendations: increase investment in quality and coordination of services, invest in tools for better measurement of service delivery and outcomes, increase crisis intervention support and mental health education, invest in the development of mental health professionals, expand insurance recovery, utilize federal COVID-19 relief funds for non-recurring mental health expenses, pursue additional philanthropic funds, and develop alternative service delivery models for specialized services.

Colleges across the state will address these through new measures and the Mental Health First Aid initiative which connects students and faculty to available mental health resources. There will also be a summit at UNC-Chapel Hill for people to come together to talk about the mental health crisis.

Other schools and counties are also implementing new programs. Wake County Schools will cancel classes on November 12 for a “day of reflection” on the past semester. East Carolina University has a new app called My SSP where students can chat and video call with counselors. GreenTree Refuge in Winston-Salem provides 24/7 peer support and non-clinical mental health services with the guarantee that people will never be turned away. Broadview Middle School in Graham has a reset room for students to better process information and use sensory stimuli to focus and feel better. In Greensboro, Guilford County Behavioral Health Center puts everything under one roof and keeps people out of hospitals, bridging the gap in mental health care and reducing barriers to access. Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst has an online therapy platform and a 24-hour behavioral health screening tool.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.

At South Piedmont Community College in Polkton, they plan to administer the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) Screener for anyone reporting suicidal thoughts.

“This tool helps us assess suicide risk, severity, and the support needed by the individual. Depending on the level of risk assessed, the action may include staying with the student until they are connected to a higher level of care, safety planning, and connecting them to community mental health,” says Director of Counseling Erica Andrews.

SPCC also plans to refer students to Daymark Recovery Services in Wadesboro for same-day mental health crisis counseling, work with Anson County Early College staff for any mental health crises reported by ACEC students, ensure student awareness of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, use COVID-19 Student Emergency Assistance funding for mental healthcare, and host a Mental Health First Aid training for faculty and staff.