This year, UNC Counseling and Psychological Services will offer much-needed mental health support through a new 24/7 hotline. For immediate, around-the-clock support, students can call CAPS at 919-966-3658 to speak with a mental health professional.
CAPS’ new hotline comes after a report by UNC’s Mental Health Task Force in April that highlighted the need for 24/7 access to mental health services.
The report found that, over the span of 12 months, over two-thirds of undergraduate students had felt very sad or very lonely. Nearly 60 percent of undergraduates experienced overwhelming anxiety, while 11.1 percent had seriously considered suicide.
It’s no secret that many students struggle with their mental health while in college. Talk of more comprehensive mental health services at Carolina is nothing new; mental health advocates within the UNC community have long been pushing for this kind of positive change. And though it may be long overdue, it’s still worthy of praise.
CAPS receives a lot of criticism for its less-than-stellar services — and that criticism is certainly valid. But its swift implementation of the hotline just months after it was recommended indicates that they might just be willing to listen to feedback and change for the better.
Just as we slam CAPS for its flaws, we should also applaud its strengths, and this new hotline is definitely one of them.
Historically, one of CAPS’ biggest flaws has been its inaccessibility — its remote location, limited hours and the temporary nature of its services have prevented it from being as effective as it could be. Previously, students could only receive mental health services in person, making CAPS even more unreachable for those whose social anxiety may deter them from seeking help.
This hotline is a small but important step toward making CAPS more inclusive; it allows anyone to access the mental health support they need at any time.
In the future, though, we hope CAPS will pay student-led organizations — like student government — the same attention they have given those sponsored by University faculty. Campus groups centered around mental health have been requesting these changes for years, long before the University’s own Task Force decided to finally do something about it.
