EDITORIAL: Nittany Lions lead way on mental health

Jan. 21--Penn State's senior-class students could teach their state legislators a thing or two about need, compassion -- and action. More than 40,000 students live and attend school in State College, affectionately known as Happy Valley, but this year's senior class decided to donate its class gift funds -- as much as $250,000 -- to support campus mental health services. Student leaders told the Philadelphia Inquirer that students are growing more aware of the need for mental health treatment.

Legislators seem oblivious. They have been wrangling for months with their peers and the governor over the long-delayed state budget. The failure to reach a fiscal agreement has resulted in months of difficulty for social service agencies, which, like public schools, libraries, parks and many other entities that depend on state funding, have struggled to keep operating.

The budget impasse has only worsened an already unsatisfactory situation for people seeking mental health services. For years, long waits have been routine. Locally, a patient may wait two weeks even for an emergency appointment. There aren't enough psychiatrists or other doctors, and case workers are often overwhelmed. A World Health Organization/World Bank/Harvard University study found that mental illness, including suicide, ranks second among diseases in developed nations like the U.S. -- and that close to two thirds of those with diagnosable mental disorders don't even seek treatment. Pennsylvania's budget impasse has held back hundreds of millions of dollars that normally go to social service agencies providing a wide range of services, including for mental health. Counties have tried to cover costs and agencies have curtailed hours and cut staff -- hardly moves that serve unstable clients. Even the stopgap budget passed in late December did not restore funds for many community-based services that assist or treat the mentally ill.

The senior class gift campaign's executive director, Ramon Guzman Jr., attempted suicide while a freshman, so he knows personally how vital treatment is. Guzman called himself "overwhelmed" by fellow students who were so interested in helping others that they voted to boost services rather than buy monument or other, more tangible gift.

All too often in Harrisburg, party posturing and job security seem to take precedence over serving the public. And while folks in jackets and ties argue ad infinitum over whether to raise taxes to pay for services, real people suffer.

In Penn State, then, all the more praise to the young adults who voted not for material interests, public recognition or personal advancement, but solely for the sake of helping other students who suffer from mental illness in any of its myriad forms. At least this group of the younger generation recognizes the importance of providing services to a vulnerable and often neglected population.

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