In many cases, students and administrators say the best option can be to take time off from school.

“Leaves offer a chance to press the reset button on a term so students can return at a later time and be better able to make the most of their time here,” said Sharon L. Howell, who works with students as the resident dean of Adams House.

Dean of Student Life Stephen Lassonde, who previously worked at Brown and Yale Universities, said that this environment is characteristic of many of Harvard’s peer institutions.

“There’s no selective university in the country that’s...a good place to get better,” he said. “I think for some students, they chose a too difficult selection of courses, but for others it’s the way they’re spending their time outside of the classroom.”

Howell said that a hectic lifestyle can directly impact a student’s recovery, as going to therapy is often seen as “one more thing they need to do.”

For David, who requested that his name be changed, this pace of life was one of the primary reasons that led him to take a leave of absence.

“Very often I would devote my time to extracurriculars and say to myself, ‘It’s okay that I’m not going to be happy today. It’s okay that I’m not doing what I want to today. I’m doing this because I want to be happy tomorrow,’” he said. “I think I realized that if I kept living like that, 30 years would go by before Irealized that tomorrow wasn’t going to be there.”

NOT GETTING BETTER

While students and administrators agree that Harvard’s atmosphere contributes to the problem, they sometimes disagree about whether UHS can fight that problem adequately.

UHS, which houses its Student Mental Health Services on the fourth floor of the Holyoke Center, is part of a broad network of mental health resources on campus, including peer counseling, the Student Mental Health Liaisons program, and wellness tutors in the Houses.

For some students, UHS is the symbol of an extensive system that despite its efforts cannot do enough to keep them healthy here on campus.

Emily, a College sophomore, chose to seek treatment for her mental health issues through UHS. When she decided to go home toward the end of last spring, she was both thankful that UHS professionals had spoken to her earlier about “navigating the system” and disappointed by the actual care she received.

“It felt like my issues weren’t being taken seriously because I wasn’t suicidal,” said Emily, who also requested a pseudonym.

David, too, was disappointed by the treatment he received through the University in the fall of 2012. After a few months, he switched to a private practitioner, a change he said was motivated in part by what he saw as lackluster care at UHS.

“My psychiatrist, for example, forgot my name two or three times. There were mix-ups related to prescriptions,” David said. “It was pretty clear that the people who were treating me were doing their best, but were overworked and not in the position to provide any quality care.”