An emotionally fragile college freshman who was referred out of counseling right before taking part in a gruesome murder, is used here as an example of the importance of making help available to undergraduate students. Demand for mental health counseling exceeds supply on many campuses, creating wait lists for troubled students. And, since students who need help often don’t ask for it, even schools with adequate counseling resources may miss opportunities for intervention. To address this, Daniel Eisenberg says many universities are training faculty advisers, residential assistants, and others who engage with students on how to spot students who are having problems and refer them to appropriate mental health services.

More about Eisenberg says many colleges now train campus personnel to spot and refer troubled college students >