Psychiatry Consultation for University students: a multidisciplinary team caring for our youth's mental health.

Created in order to provide mental health support to University of Coimbra (UC) students, the Psychiatry Consultation has been providing support to the student community since 2015. Located at Campus I - 2nd floor of the Faculty of Medicine building - it is free of charge and available to students in need of support. This consultation results from a collaboration between psychiatrists from the Coimbra Hospital and University Centre (CHUC), psychologists, and the General practitioner(GP) of the Occupational Health and Safety Management Servicesof the Social Services of the University of Coimbra (SASUC).

On the 24th of March 2015, the day that celebrates National Student Day, the University of Coimbra and the Psychiatry Service of CHUC established a protocol, which led to the creation of the Psychiatry Consultation for University Students, "so that students receive proper medical care in this speciality", says Dr. Sofia Morais, one of the CHUC psychiatrists who is part of this project, together with Dr. Diana Moura.

Having such a consultation available in a space close to the student community was one of the reasons that prompted the establishment of this service, as well as the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, preventing aggravation of mental health problems or the development of other comorbidities. Dr. Sofia Morais adds that 75% of serious mental illness starts between the ages of 18 and 24, and that university students are at additional risk because of academic pressure, lack of emotional preparation for the challenges of university life, economic problems, concerns about employability or lack of a close support network due to their separation from family during the school year.

Morais further adds that "There has been insufficient concern about mental health in the assessment of academic success, although it is well known that students with mental health problems are twice as likely to drop out of university".

The Psychiatry Consultation for University Students is free of charge and available to students of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees of various nationalities. Sofia Morais also emphasises the importance of this being a multidisciplinary service, involving psychiatrists as well as psychologists and a general practitioner. This networking ensures that patients can be referred more swiftly according to their needs.

The triage model with a stepped care approach can start, for example, at the general practitioner's appointment with Dr. Célia Lavaredas, the GP at the Social Services of the University of Coimbra, often the first step in the mental health treatment process. 

Dr. Lavaredas explains that "the reason for consulting general and family medicine is often not related to mental health, but it can evolve in that direction", so it is important to define a "care plan that allows the necessary follow-up of each patient: whether for psychology, psychiatry or for further follow-up in GP consultations".

When the young patient is referred to Psychology, Marisa Marques, Sofia Caetano and Maria João Martins follow up on the care plan. The stepped care approach triage model started in May 2019 and allows, as soon as the student arrives at the consultation, "the referral to the area most suited to their clinical situation", the psychologists explain. Then, low or high intensity psychological intervention can follow. The first type of intervention may include participation in psycho-educational therapy groups in areas such as anxiety or improvement of personal and social competences, as well as the recently launched UC Doctoral student competence development group.

These groups consist of 10 to 15 people, organised over 9 sessions and are an informal space to provide psychological support to several people at the same time. In the near future, the psychologists also plan to create a therapy group dedicated to depression. With regard to high-intensity intervention, it involves individual psychology consultation or referral to psychiatry consultation.

The will to continue reaching more and more people in the UC community is very strong and networking has been fundamental in this process, which has also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing challenges and opportunities. In order to address health care needs at the University of Coimbra, the UCare emotional support Line was launched in March 2019. This service allows the scheduling of a Psychology consultation, which provides very practical support through an electronic platform in which the person can choose between receiving a call, video call or text.

Mental health care in the UC community is a joint endeavour, in a constant sharing between the team members. In addition to intervention in the areas of Psychology, Psychiatry and family medicine, the Health and Occupational Safety Management Services of the Social Services of the University of Coimbra offer many specialities to the entire UC community. 

SOME DATA ABOUT THE PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE AT THE UC:

 Attendance 2015 - 2021

Specialties:

Family Medicine, Psychology and Psychiatry

Contacts for appointment and consultation bookings:

Address: Rua Larga, Edifício da Faculdade de Medicina, 2.º Piso (Polo I)

Office hours: 9h00 – 13h00 e 14h00 – 17h00 (Mon - Fri)

Phone: 239 240 845 | 939 855 967

Information, booking appointments and other clinical services: gabadmin@sas.uc.pt

Contacts of a clinical nature (prescriptions, medical queries, nursing): saude@sas.uc.pt

UCare – Emotional Support Line: ucare@uc.pt

_{Content Production and Editing: Catarina Ribeiro and Inês Coelho, DCOM
Image Editing: Sara Baptista, NMAR
Translation: Diana Taborda}