## DEI bans and โtheโข Unintended Consequencesโ forโ College Mental Health
Across โthe country, college counseling centers are curtailing vitalโค mental โhealth services due toโ concerns about compliance with recently enacted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bans.These cuts disproportionately impact support for specific at-risk โขstudent populations, including young menโ struggling with pornography use andโ female survivors of sexual assault, and are occurring despite these services not being โthe intended target of the legislation. Critically, many of these clinical groups serve students experiencing suicidal ideation.
### โprecedent: โDEIโฃ Bans Impeding Targeted Mental Health Support
Targeted mental health promotion for high-risk groups isโ a recognized component of effective suicide prevention strategies. Though, recent events demonstrate a precedent forโ DEI bans hinderingโฃ such outreach. โฃFollowing the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, several state legislatures called for increased support for Jewish โstudents on college campuses. Aโ report published on *Forbes.com* in January 2025 detailed how many counseling centers in states with DEI bans โคrefrained from actively promoting or providing this โenhanced support, โfearing potential legal violations. This โขsuggests aโ similar pattern is emerging with services for other โขidentified high-risk groups for suicide.
###โ Uncertainty Surrounding โฃHealthcareโ Exemptions
Numerous health associations are actively seeking clarification โfrom govermentโข officials regarding the submission of โขDEI bans to clinicalโฃ services deliveredโ by licensed healthcare providersโ on campus. Some states, including Alabama โฃand Iowa, have already incorporated healthcare exemptions into their DEI legislation, with representatives inโ other states indicating plans toโ advocate โฃfor similar โขprovisions.
Despite these โefforts, โขthe โคscope of medical exemptions within DEIโฃ bans remainsโค largelyโ unclear and has receivedโ limited coverageโ in mainstream media. โขA memo released in โฃ2025โข by the Office of the attorney General provided guidance on unlawful discrimination for recipients of federal funding, defining preferentialโ treatment as actions that disadvantage other qualified individuals.โฃ Some experts argue that โฃmental โฃhealth services do not meet this definition, asโ participation in therapy by one group does notโฃ inherently disadvantageโข others, given the non-competitive natureโ of counseling. Furthermore, the DOJ memo’s โคexemption for same-sex separations based โฃon โคprivacy, safety, or athletic opportunity has ledโ some to interpret that the higher standard of confidentiality in counseling may permit gender-specific โtherapyโ groups. Though, no โofficial โฃinterpretation of the DOJ memo โcurrently exists.
college โขmental health โคservices offer unique opportunitiesโฃ for โฃsuicide prevention in emerging adults, and the government has generally expressed support for these efforts. While DEI bans in higherโ education were not specifically designedโข to target mental health or suicide prevention initiatives, their wording is having the unintended result of eliminating crucial clinical services and outreach programs, potentially impacting โขinitiatives like Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.