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Campus Cure, The: A Parent's Guide to Mental Health and Wellness for College Students
Did you know that one of four college students was diagnosed with a mental health disorder in the last year? College students are experiencing anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, and other mental health issues at alarming rates in a landscape of growing academic, social, and financial pressures. As a college mental health psychiatrist for over two decades and a mother of two twenty-somethings, Marcia Morris has witnessed the ways problems can derail students from their goals, while parent interventions at critical junctures can help get students back on track.
The Campus Cure: A Parent Guide to Mental Health and Wellness for College Students is a first aid guide to your child's emotional health, preparing you to handle the mental health problems and emotional ups and downs many young adults experience in college. With anecdotes and the latest scientific literature, this book will increase your awareness of common problems, pressures, and crises in college; illustrate how you can support your child and collaborate with campus resources; and provide stories of hope to parents who often feel alone and overwhelmed when their child experiences a mental health problem. While you have the passion to help your child, this book will provide you with the tools to guide your child toward health and happiness in the college years.
The Campus Cure: A Parent Guide to Mental Health and Wellness for College Students is a first aid guide to your child's emotional health, preparing you to handle the mental health problems and emotional ups and downs many young adults experience in college. With anecdotes and the latest scientific literature, this book will increase your awareness of common problems, pressures, and crises in college; illustrate how you can support your child and collaborate with campus resources; and provide stories of hope to parents who often feel alone and overwhelmed when their child experiences a mental health problem. While you have the passion to help your child, this book will provide you with the tools to guide your child toward health and happiness in the college years.
253 pages, Paperback
Published February 19, 2020
About the author
Marcia Morris
1 bookMarcia Morris, MD, is a psychiatrist at the University of Florida with over 20 years of experience providing care to university students. She is currently an Associate Professor with the College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Associate Program Director of Student Health Care Center Psychiatry.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 17, 2026
I am not a parent but I do work in a Disability Services office and have disabilities myself, including mental health related disabilities. The number of students with mental health disabilities is increasing, even as college enrollment is decreasing. Many students I work with struggle with some of the most basic academic tasks, low stress situations, and independent living skills. So, a book like this is an invaluable resource, not only for parents but anyone working with college students.
Each chapter focuses on a particular type of mental disability or issue affecting mental health, from anxiety to depression to loneliness to gender identity and sexuality to substance abuse to psychosis. It starts with a story from Morris’ own experience working in a campus counseling center. Then she dives into research, explanations, trends, and ends with practical advice for parents. All written in a very accessible style and compassionate tone.
I would recommend this to any parent of a college student or any professional working with college students, especially those in counseling centers, DS offices, or offices for student support. Also could be useful for students with mental health struggles who want to have a better handle on their issues and how they fit into wider patterns.
Each chapter focuses on a particular type of mental disability or issue affecting mental health, from anxiety to depression to loneliness to gender identity and sexuality to substance abuse to psychosis. It starts with a story from Morris’ own experience working in a campus counseling center. Then she dives into research, explanations, trends, and ends with practical advice for parents. All written in a very accessible style and compassionate tone.
I would recommend this to any parent of a college student or any professional working with college students, especially those in counseling centers, DS offices, or offices for student support. Also could be useful for students with mental health struggles who want to have a better handle on their issues and how they fit into wider patterns.
July 4, 2018
Informative and on target with the pressures our youth face today.
November 4, 2018
Overall, I really liked this book, and see its greatest utility when used by parents whose collegiate children experience mental health issues. If I had the funds, or was able to get a grant, I'd buy these in bulk for my staff to give to the parents of students who were willing to have parents involved in the treatment process.
My concern with higher ed how-to-books is that there is seldom a one size fits all solution. Not all campuses are created equal, and whether it's counseling, psychiatry, primary care, substance misuse prevention, sexual violence prevention, etc., the level of services available, even among 4 year campuses, largely varies. Adding 2-year, private institutions, etc adds to the range of the spectrum. Morris does a good job of attempting to address this, and encourages families to research what their students' institution really has. I suspect some family members would be disappointed, if not outraged, how little mental health and psychiatry services some campuses have.
Having said this, I did like the book, and it has given me pause to consider some family oriented content and educational offerings my staff and I should consider.
My concern with higher ed how-to-books is that there is seldom a one size fits all solution. Not all campuses are created equal, and whether it's counseling, psychiatry, primary care, substance misuse prevention, sexual violence prevention, etc., the level of services available, even among 4 year campuses, largely varies. Adding 2-year, private institutions, etc adds to the range of the spectrum. Morris does a good job of attempting to address this, and encourages families to research what their students' institution really has. I suspect some family members would be disappointed, if not outraged, how little mental health and psychiatry services some campuses have.
Having said this, I did like the book, and it has given me pause to consider some family oriented content and educational offerings my staff and I should consider.
November 12, 2018
The Campus Cure is an informative book for parents on how to support your college-age child through the labyrinth of pitfalls that may befall them. The book divides these situations into three main categories; Problems, Pressures, and Crises.
The Problems section covers things like Anxiety, Depression, Substance Abuse, and Academic Hiccups.
The Pressures section covers such things as Loneliness, Perfectionism, Culture, Sexuality, Gender Challenges, and Financial Stresses.
Crises are things like Rape, Suicidal Behaviors, Eating Disorders, and Psychosis.
Written by someone that is both a Psychiatrist and a Mother of two college-age people, this is a thorough and thoughtful account of things that can happen and how to reasonably deal with these issues without stepping on your now adult child’s toes.
Even if you are an hour’s drive away, this person on the other end of a phone call is your child, breaking that tether is one of the most difficult things to do. Like if your child believes that they are having a heart attack from the sheer amount of anxiety they are going through. The book gives tons of good advice for all of these things.
The Problems section covers things like Anxiety, Depression, Substance Abuse, and Academic Hiccups.
The Pressures section covers such things as Loneliness, Perfectionism, Culture, Sexuality, Gender Challenges, and Financial Stresses.
Crises are things like Rape, Suicidal Behaviors, Eating Disorders, and Psychosis.
Written by someone that is both a Psychiatrist and a Mother of two college-age people, this is a thorough and thoughtful account of things that can happen and how to reasonably deal with these issues without stepping on your now adult child’s toes.
Even if you are an hour’s drive away, this person on the other end of a phone call is your child, breaking that tether is one of the most difficult things to do. Like if your child believes that they are having a heart attack from the sheer amount of anxiety they are going through. The book gives tons of good advice for all of these things.
January 12, 2018
I found Dr. Marcia Morris's book to be extremely educational. As a young parent, and a grad student, I personally found The Campus Cure to be relatable to some of the experiences I faced while in my earlier years of college. In this aspect, it helped me understand that I was not alone; as well as offered tactics for how to better handle myself if I'm ever in a similar situation again. On a parenting level, I felt the book offered guidance in helping define my parenting style early on and was helpful in a way that will allow me to better prepare for when my children are a little older. While a lot of the chapters focus on helping your child's mental health and wellness in the college-age years, you will find her professional advice to be recommendations that you can apply to really any friend, family or peer. Overall - easy, helpful read with lots of research to back her points and interesting patient stories that are relatable both as a parent and/or student.
Merged review:
I found Dr. Marcia Morris's book to be extremely educational. As a young parent, and a grad student, I personally found The Campus Cure to be relatable to some of the experiences I faced while in my earlier years of college. In this aspect, it helped me understand that I was not alone; as well as offered tactics for how to better handle myself if I'm ever in a similar situation again. On a parenting level, I felt the book offered guidance in helping define my parenting style early on and was helpful in a way that will allow me to better prepare for when my children are a little older. While a lot of the chapters focus on helping your child's mental health and wellness in the college-age years, you will find her professional advice to be recommendations that you can apply to really any friend, family or peer. Overall - easy, helpful read with lots of research to back her points and interesting patient stories that are relatable both as a parent and/or student.
Merged review:
I found Dr. Marcia Morris's book to be extremely educational. As a young parent, and a grad student, I personally found The Campus Cure to be relatable to some of the experiences I faced while in my earlier years of college. In this aspect, it helped me understand that I was not alone; as well as offered tactics for how to better handle myself if I'm ever in a similar situation again. On a parenting level, I felt the book offered guidance in helping define my parenting style early on and was helpful in a way that will allow me to better prepare for when my children are a little older. While a lot of the chapters focus on helping your child's mental health and wellness in the college-age years, you will find her professional advice to be recommendations that you can apply to really any friend, family or peer. Overall - easy, helpful read with lots of research to back her points and interesting patient stories that are relatable both as a parent and/or student.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews