The Jed Foundation Announces JedCampus Initiative To Help Colleges And Universities Assess And Enhance Campus-Wide Mental Health Programming

NEW YORK, June 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jed Foundation, a leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students, today unveiled its JedCampus program—a nationwide initiative designed to help colleges and universities assess and enhance mental health promotion and suicide prevention programming on campus.

"College is a time of increased pressure when many students experience symptoms of emotional health issues like depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and self-injury," said John MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation. "JedCampus changes the landscape of college mental health by further defining how schools can support student emotional health in a comprehensive way, and helping those schools develop an actionable plan to make it happen."

Participating schools will take a voluntary, online self-assessment reviewing their campus mental health and suicide prevention programming. Upon receipt of the self-assessment survey, The Jed Foundation will compare the school's responses to the recommended practices outlined in The Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses developed by The Jed Foundation and Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Each participating school is given confidential, detailed feedback designed to help the school improve its programming and resources.

A JedCampus seal of distinction will be awarded to schools that exhibit, through the self-assessment process, mental health promotion and suicide prevention programming consistent with recommended practices of the JedCampus program. Only the names of schools that are awarded JedCampus seals will be public. All other elements of this program—including survey responses, feedback reports, and the identity of participants that do not receive a seal—are confidential.

To date, over 50 of the nation's colleges and universities have registered to participate in the initiative. Leading higher education and mental health professional organizations including the American College Counseling Association, American College Health Association, National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, among others, have provided statements of support for the JedCampus initiative.

"In the past year, 21.2 percent of college students received a psychiatric diagnosis or were treated for mental health issues such as depression or eating disorders, and an estimated 6.6 percent of students reported having serious thoughts of suicide[i]," said Dr. Victor Schwartz, Medical Director at The Jed Foundation. "By recognizing and creating a public database of colleges and universities with comprehensive mental health programs, the JedCampus initiative will aid families and students in the college selection process by identifying campuses with robust emotional support resources." 

For more information on JedCampus, visit www.jedcampus.org.

About The Jed Foundation 
The Jed Foundation works to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students. Our programs include: JedCampus, a self-assessment and feedback program designed to help colleges enhance mental health programming; ULifeline, an online mental health resource that gives students access to campus-specific resources and an anonymous mental health screener; Half of Us, the Peabody Award-winning campaign with mtvU, which uses online and on-air programming to decrease stigma and encourage help-seeking; Love is Louder, a movement to build connectedness and increase resiliency; Transition Year, an online resource aimed at helping to ensure the smooth, safe and healthy transition of teenagers from high school to college; and a portfolio of resources that helps campuses promote mental health and protect at-risk students. Learn more at www.jedfoundation.org.

[i] National College Health Assessment: Reference Group Executive Summary, Fall 2011. Baltimore, MD: American College Health Association.

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SOURCE The Jed Foundation