Focus of this year's conference is 'Changing Perspectives'

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Does a crisis have to occur in order for colleges and universities to allocate funding for detecting and treating students' depression?

That's one of the fundamental questions that will be addressed during the seventh annual national Depression on College Campuses Conference, which will be held at the University of Michigan on March 18 and 19.

"We pay a lot of attention to depression and related problems among college students should a tragedy occur on campus," says John Greden, M.D., executive director of the U-M Depression Center. "Our goal with this conference is to identify ways in which campus leaders can be more proactive in planning and implementing student mental health programs to prevent crises, rather than reacting to them after the fact."

Other areas of focus for this year's conference:

• Veterans: Students who have also been soldiers often face challenges and issues that are very different from those of their classmates. A session at the conference will focus on the unique perspectives of student veterans, featuring Derek Blumke, co-founder of Student Veterans of America, and a number of other national leaders.

• Student workshop: The conference will feature a 3.5 hour workshop designed specifically for students, focusing on peer-to-peer support and advocacy strategies. In addition, the third annual Student Mental Health Advocate Award will be presented, recognizing outstanding student leadership in the area of campus mental health. Other workshops will be offered for faculty, staff and clinicians, including sessions on critical incidents management and motivational interviewing.

Conference details

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