Student Development Services: Faculty of Commerce

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Stats for the year
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What students presented with
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Diagnostic clusters
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How these difficulties impact on their functioning primarily in academic ways
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How we work with these difficulties
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Significant questions we want to answer

0 10 20 30
Concern about academic performance
Stress
Depression
Anxiety
Family problems
Sleeping problems
Financial worries
Poor self esteem
Uncertainty about subject choice
Feeling lonely and isolated
Difficulty to adjusting to being at university
Thoughts that I cannot stop having
The death of a loved one
Panic attacks
The breakdown or problems in a romantic relationship
Problematic eating
A traumatic event (crime or accident)
Problems with anger
Something I regret or feel guilty about
Problems with my friends
Self-harm
Thoughts about killing myself
Pregnancy
Worries about being ill
Problems with drinking or using other substances
HIV related issues
Living with a disability or illness
Harassment
Issues related to my sexuality
1
1
1
1
1
3
4
4
5
6
8
8
8
8
9
13
12
12
20
19
19
26
26
26
29
34
37
40 50
52
60 70 80
78
90

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Depression
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Anxiety
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Psychotic disorders
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V-Codes
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Academic difficulties, learning difficulties
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Relationship problems
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Family problems

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Depression:
8.
9.
6.
7.
3.
4.
5.
Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during a 2 week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.
1.
2.
Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day as indicated by either subjective report or observation made by others
Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all activities most of the day, nearly every day
Significant weight loss or weight gain
Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
Psychomotor retardation nearly every day – feelings of restlessness or being slowed down
Fatique or loss of energy nearly every day
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
Diminished ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness
Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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
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Depressed mood for most of the day, as indicated by subjective account of observation by others for at least 2 years.
While depressed 2 or more of the following must be present
Poor appetite or overeating
Insomnia or hypersomnia
Low energy or fatigue
Low self esteem
Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
Feelings of hopelessness
During the 2-year period, the person has never been without the symptoms in
Criteria A or B for more than 2 months at a time
The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or medical condition
The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning


4.
5.
6.
7.
2.
3.

1.
A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood, lasting at least
1 week
During the period of mood disturbance, 3 or more of the following have persisted inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
Decreased need for sleep
More talkative than usual or pressure to deep talking flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing distractability
Increase in goal directed activity (socially, at work or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences
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Bi-polar disorder: Currently in a Manic or Depressed mood with history of a mood disorder, The presentation is not better accounted for by personality disorders


1.
2.
3.
4.

Diagnostic criteria for Brief Psychotic Disorder
Presence of 1 or more of the following symptoms
Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganised speech eg: frequent derailment or incoherence
Grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour
B. Duration of an episode of the disturbance is at least 1 day but less than 1 month with eventual return to premorbid level of functioning.
C. The disturbance is not better accounted for by a Mood Disorder with Psychotic Features


Normal vs Pathological Anxiety
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Panic disorder and agoraphobia (includes panic attacks)
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Social and simple phobias
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder
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Post traumatic stress disorder
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Generalised anxiety disorder

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Anxiety produces confusion, distortion of perceptions , of time and space as well as of people and meaning of events.
PTSD


Hypervigilance
Feeling unsafe
Social Anxiety



Difficulty interacting with peers/groups
Difficulty asking questions of lecturers/ tutors
Difficulty asking for help
Generalised Anxiety Disorder


Lack of concentration
Poor working memory
Panic attacks/disorder

With agoraphobia


With anxious mood
Impact on academic functioning

Difficulty in coping a new environment
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Inability to use resources available to them
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Loss of use of internal resources

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Academic difficulties
Impact on academic functioning

Adjustment to academic demands on campus
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Learning difficulties
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Family problems
Impact on academic functioning

Distracted by thoughts of difficulties at home
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Lack of support from home
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Hostile relations with people at home

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Individual therapy: Brief model


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6 – 8 sessions
Eclectic approach (range of modalities)
Assessment and referral
Building relationship, establishing rapport, health model
(build on their resilience)
Emergencies seen at Student Wellness Service
Group therapy :


20 weeks – term time only
Brief psychodynamic group
Workshops
Skills for Commerce


How can we effectively identify “at-risk” students?

RAC?

How can we offer services to students who do not present themselves for therapy?

How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our service on students’ wellbeing and academic functioning?


Jean Luyt

Rm 2.13.2

650 2224

Jean.luyt@uct.ac.za

Wiedaad Dollie

Rm 2.4

650 2075

Wiedaad.dollie@uct.ac.za