A state in crisis: Lobbying for mental health made difficult by lack of funding

Utah’s facing a mental health emergency.

The state ranks tenth in the nation for the most suicides per capita and fifth in the nation for youth suicides per capita.

That mental health dilemma lurks in college students’ day-to-day lives across the state. Utah State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services is backed up —  it takes anywhere between four to six weeks to get an appointment.

Students are killing themselves. In the 2015 academic year, over 100 college students attempted suicide.

“Tragically, fifteen of those higher education students were successful,” said Rep. Edward Redd (R).

To address the anxiety, depression and suicides, Aggies lobbied the Utah State Legislature to officially declare a mental health crisis across the state for all public college students last Friday. They fought to pass House Concurrent Resolution 16, sponsored by Rep. Edward Redd, by sitting down and meeting with legislators and raising awareness about the issue.

Molly Van Engelenhoven, Utah State University Student Association Natural resources senator, informed Senator Brian Shiozawa (R) about the bill.

“It takes anywhere between four to six weeks to get counselor at USU,” Van Engelenhoven said.

“How long?” asked Shiozawa, as he scribbled notes on his yellow note-taking pad.

“Four to six,” Van Engelenhoven said. “For me, I’ve dealt with depression, anxiety and suicide since I was 12… I’m honestly really glad to be here because for a long while I didn’t want to be.”

Van Engelenhoven said the only way she was able to get past her mental health issues during her time at USU was by going to see a counselor, even though it wasn’t a USU counselor. The wait is just too long.

Redd said he initially wanted the mental health resolution to address the lack of therapists at USU.

“But then we get down here and the budget is like… it’s not there,” he said.   

The state budget, which is divvied up during the legislative session, is made up of money from taxes. The more economic growth the state experiences the year before, the more extra funding legislators can allocate.

But there wasn’t a lot of growth in the state, so there’s not a lot of extra money, which means the state can’t help fund extra therapists for college students.

“If you can’t hire new people right this minute, what else can you do in the meantime?” Redd asked.

Other than the limited budget, Redd said another challenge the resolution faces is in raising awareness about the problem and addressing the stigma. Once politicians are aware of the mental health issues, then they can start asking “What can we do?”

“But if you don’t speak up about issues you’re facing, how can legislators know how to help you?” Redd said.

Another issue with the resolution is it doesn’t enact long-lasting change, said Ty Aller,  USUSA graduate senator. Aller is also a counselor in the local area. He’s one of the people who spearheaded the mental health movement a couple of years ago.

If passed, the resolution offers two solutions. First, it would raise awareness about the state of Utah’s mental health; second, it would create a council that’s dedicated to facilitating conversations regarding mental health. For example, if USU has a really successful mental health campaign — like Mental Health Week — the resolution would allow other higher education institutions to copy, share and cultivate ideas that address the mental health crisis.

“It’s a complicated issue where there’s no one silver bullet,” Aller said.

The biggest issue is, Utah’s mental health emergency doesn’t just impact college students — Utahns from all walks of life are also facing this crisis.

“I actually lost my best friend to suicide when I was in high school,” said Rachael Fresh, the USUSA student alumni vice president. “I’m coming up on the fifth year anniversary and it’s very much on the surface.”

Even though it was hard for her to lose her best friend, Fresh turned that pain into a passion — she wants to confront mental health problems.

“Now to see it happening in the state is the most amazing thing,” she said. “Being here is a dream come true.”

  The resolution is expected to be voted on the Senate in the coming weeks. After that, it’s expected to be signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert.

—morgan.pratt.robinson@gmail.com

@morgpratt

Graphic by Emmalee Olsen