As colleges and universities face financial challenges, Mentavi Health, which pioneered telehealth services with ADHD Online, has partnered with student health centres to provide mental health care and assist all students in achieving academically. This initiative aims to offer students clinical assessments that screen and diagnose depression and anxiety.
Higher education institutions are witnessing an increase in demand for mental health services from students suffering from ADHD, anxiety, depression, and other difficulties. Since financial resources are limited, student health services are forced to outsource mental health assessments, which typically result in six to nine-month wait times for in-person sessions. This can imply that students cannot acquire diagnoses and begin treatments in the next semester or perhaps the next academic year, jeopardizing their academic performance. Working with Mentavi Health allows schools and institutions to connect students with timely, cost-effective diagnoses and treatments.
Speaking on the collaboration, Tim Gutwald, Vice President of Business Outreach at Mentavi Health, said:
We partner closely with the care team within the student health centres at our partner institutions. On many campuses, we are happy to complete assessments, render diagnoses, and then refer students back to the colleges’ health services to develop proper treatment plans based on our findings. This way, the institution can maintain control over how medications are prescribed and administered on campus, and the student can minimize out-of-pocket costs for appropriate medical treatment.
Through this partnership, Mentavi provides other benefits for both students and institutions. Students with untreated ADHD are three times more likely to drop out before they graduate. Colleges understand that neurodiverse students contribute to the campus environment and can be incredibly successful if given the proper support. As colleges seek to attract those students, the platform can help them provide the accommodations students need for success. Multiple colleges use Mentavi’s “Smart Assessment” in their classroom accommodation process.
Mentavi’s expert assessments can be essential for students’ health. Students frequently develop symptoms that resemble both ADHD and anxiety or depression. A clinical specialist must be consulted to determine which of these closely linked illnesses is affecting a student, and a proper treatment plan must consider the source of the symptoms to be effective. The online platform offers results based on a thorough clinical evaluation by certified psychologists in days rather than weeks or months.
Gutwald added:
Mentavi also helps students access mental health care by making assessments, diagnosis and treatment affordable. Traditional off-campus assessments may cost thousands of dollars, even after any health insurance contributions. In general, the cost of our Smart Assessment is highly competitive compared to the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by students covered by their school’s student health plans.
The company also addressed many issues that colleges and universities need help managing. First, its diagnoses for ADHD, anxiety, and depression stand up to clinical scrutiny because they are evaluated by a licensed mental health professional and based on clinical frameworks. Its process is also developed with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) considerations, such as whether assessment language penalizes some populations and whether the summary report and communication consider the diverse backgrounds and specialized needs of the entire student population.
Colleges are also concerned about introducing and properly using specific prescription medications on campus. Mentavi’s assessments can reduce risks of medication diversion and improper use of prescribed substances.
Gutwald stated:
With Mentavi’s assessment, the institution can maintain control over how medications are prescribed and administered, and the student can minimize out-of-pocket costs for appropriate medical treatment. Mentavi is proving to be an effective partner for higher education, both in holding down costs and ensuring that all students have the best chance of success.
Mentavi Health was formed in 2018 as ADHD Online, with the aim of ensuring that everyone, regardless of identity or location, has access to high-quality ADHD tests from a professional psychologist. ADHD Online is now a Mentavi Health brand, having expanded its reach by incorporating the diagnosis and, in certain circumstances, treatment of ADHD and related mental health issues. The Mentavi Smart Assessment is available nationwide, with treatment options in 40 states.
