Virginia Tech as a Sentinel Event: The Role of Psychiatry in Managing Emotionally Troubled Students on College and University Campuses.

This article reviews the role of psychiatry in colleges and universities, and argues that psychiatrists are significantly underutilized as consultants and educators in managing emotionally troubled students. Focusing on the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting case as a sentinel event, the article outlines mental health issues facing post-secondary institutions and legal issues related to psychiatric services, including the following: the increased need for psychiatric services on campus; communication challenges among campus groups involved in managing high-risk students; efforts to balance patient confidentiality with public safety; confusion over privacy laws; and the changing role of the campus psychiatrist. An important conclusion is that psychiatrists working in campus settings have distinctive, vital skill sets that enable them to go far beyond their traditional roles of psychiatric evaluation and treatment and to serve in critical leadership, educational, and consultative capacities to benefit both emotionally troubled students and the wider campus community.