The Geography of Mental Health : Wisconsin’s Uneven Landscape and Why it Matters for the UW-Eau Claire Community

Abstract

This research project represents the efforts of Dr. Paul Kaldjian’s Fall 2018 GEOG 111: Human Geography honors section. Students chose this topic based on a collective interest in mental health and how we might examine it with geographical tools and concepts we were learning. We compiled multiple data sources including the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), WI Department of Health Services, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adm. Wisconsin Public Radio recently reported that student demand for campus counseling services in the UW system has gone up 55% since 2010. Over this same period, staffing in counseling services has increased only 19%. This article highlights an underlying but overlooked issue in our educational communities: young people are struggling with mental health issues that complicate and inhibit learning. For our project, we evaluated the geographic distribution of variables associated with emotional distress, and then compared it to the geography of treatment opportunities and options. To begin to understand treatment options for state residents, we examined availability and access to health care by mapping the location of treatment centers and licensed therapists across the state. To help us get a better idea of options available to university students, we examined levels of funding each university in Wisconsin receives from the state government for mental health care.