Use of the mental health on-call system on a university campus

Over the course of 1 calendar year, clinicians at a university mental health service collected data on every clinical case in which students presented after normal business hours or on weekends for urgent mental health consultation. During the year, 50 such incidents were recorded, which translated to a rate of 6.6 on-call events per year per 1,000 students. Students were primarily self-referred or referred by the student health center or residence life staff. Suicidal concerns, panic/anxiety, and depressive states were the three most common presenting complaints. Average clinician time per case was 1 1/2 hours, with sexual assault cases taking the most time per case, followed by substance abuse and suicidality. Follow-up outpatient counseling was employed in 76% of the cases. The results highlight the importance of on-call mental health services on college campuses.