Preventive psychiatry on the college campus

Abstract

American colleges lose half their students in the four years after matriculation. This high attrition rate with its waste of brainpower and cost in human well-being suggests that our institutions of higher education are not very conducive to optimal development of students. Especially those who begin the race for the diploma from the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum are disadvantaged from the start. Recently, attention has been focused across the nation on the failures of the educational process at lower levels. However, the negative consequences ofcollege failure or dropout for individuals and for society are no less than the consequences of dropout from the secondary schools.

It is probable that in half or more of all the dropouts and flunkouts from American universities, psychosocial difficulties are an important factor in the failure. Preventive psychiatric measures on the campuses could reduce both educational losses and future psychiatric casualties. These preventive measures and the role of mental health professionals in colleges are elaborated.