Recent research and articles have demonstrated ever continuing increases in the complexity and severity of problems faced by college students and hence the demands placed on college counseling centers. While the etiology of this dramatic recent rise is unclear, several possible factors are cited, including changing American family structures, an easing of the stigma attached to the receipt of psychiatric help, and the entry into college of those students whose disabilities would have precluded admission in prior years. In this Special Interest Study Group, participants ascertain the nature and extent of involvements of child and adolescent psychiatrists in the care and treatment of college-age populations.

Sponsored by the AACAP Adolescent Psychiatry Committee