Mental health is a priority for staff at Queen’s Student Wellness Services.
Student Wellness Services (SWS) reported 17,156 primary care requests from students over the past four years, resulting in 2,200 Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), prescribed between September 2019 to October 2023.
With Queen’s 28,000 full-time students, SWS physicians and nurse practitioners scheduled 17,156 appointments in four years, according to an internal report obtained by The Journal through a Freedom of Information Request. The statistic captures mental health concerns and diagnoses, ranging from anxiety and depression to personality disorders.
The report covers the past four years since Cynthia Gibney, SWS executive director, first started her position at Queen’s.
Ontario’s shortage of family physicians makes keeping up with student demand an ongoing challenge. SWS does its best to see as many students as possible and minimize the number of vacant appointment times.
Despite complaints of phone holds and wait times, students no-show or cancel last minute for approximately 10 per cent of appointments, Gibney said in a statement to The Journal. SWS doesn’t mandate students to provide reasons for cancellation but urges them to notify the service 24 hours in advance.
“We do a lot to remind students of their upcoming appointments, and we are always strongly encouraging them to please let us know, at least 24 hours in advance, if they need to cancel an appointment for any reason so that another student can take the spot,” Gibney said.
The report isn’t all-inclusive, with figures only reflecting appointments made with primary care practitioners and not other counsellors and supports available at Queen’s, including occupational therapists, and psychotherapists.
In the four-year period, SWS prescribed a total of 2,233 SSRIs, and 965 attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications to students, including initial prescriptions and subsequent refills.
To be proactive with mental health, SWS focuses on assisting students through the adjustment period in university.
SWS has one full-time and 12 part-time family physicians, as well as two medical residents. The service is working with 120 students this year in a wide range of roles, fulfilling some students’ academic requirements. Eight therapist interns are helping staff with a daily mental health walk-in clinic.
SWS employs seven full-time nurses, 32 counsellors, two occupational therapists, one registered dietician, two mental health triage professionals, and 13 administrative staff. Gibney is confident in her team’s ability to meet students’ needs.
“We have amazing, dedicated staff who are so committed to providing the best care and service possible to students to promote their health and wellbeing,” Gibney said.
Tags
Health, SSRI, Student Wellness Centre, SWS
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