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College Students

Every year college campuses nation wide experience students struggle with mental health. Although cases of mental health illnesses have always been a prevalent issue, the COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst as cases increased severely during the 2020-21 school year. As cases of mental health problems increase, the demand of access and offers of mental health services have also grown. 

Statistics

Summary Statistics: The Mental Health Crisis on College Campuses 

Studies and surveys conducted by institutions and organizations such as American Psychiatric Association, National Institution of Health, Mayo Clinic and Healthy Minds give us a bigger picture of how many students are affected by mental health. Mental health illnesses are contributed to many factors such as stress, high academic pressures, or lack of a support system. In result of these risk factors many students may struggle with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation. With the majority of college students being made up of young adults, the 2nd leading cause of death in young adults is suicide. 

  • More than 60 % of college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health problem-nearly a 50 % increase since 2013 according to the Healthy Minds survey. (neaToday.org) (2023)

  • Specifically 44% of students reported symptoms of depression, 37% experienced anxiety, and 15% considered suicide. 90,000 students participated in this survey from more than 133 U.S. campuses. (neaToday.org)(2023)

  • In 2021, students 73% reported moderate or severe psychological distress according to the National College Health Assessment. (American Psychiatric Association) 

  • 60% of college students reported experiencing one or more mental health challenges in 2021 in a National Healthy Minds study. (American Psychiatric Association)

  • In a NIH study, 202 responding institutes reported that suicide is the second cause of death among college students throughout 10 years. (NIH)

  • As many as 75% of students who struggle with depression are reluctant to seek help. In result, the risk of harmful outcomes such as dropping out of college, poor academic performance, substance abuse, and suicide increase. (Mayo Clinic, 2023)

  • 1 in 5 college students will experience mental health condition during college, 1 in 5 college students are affected by anxiety and depression. (Missouri Partners in Prevention)

For More Information...

To learn more about the relation between mental health and college students as well as additional resources on how to prevent and seek help, please click any of the links below.

American Psychiatrics Association:

Fostering College Student Mental Health and Resilience

National Library of Medicine (NIH):

College Students: Mental Health Problems and Treatment Considerations

Mayo Clinic:

College students and depression: A guide for parents

References

 Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Zulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2015). College Students: Mental Health Problems and Treatment Considerations. Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry, 39(5), 503–511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9
Flannery, M. E. (n.d.). The Mental Health Crisis on college campuses. NEA. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/mental-health-crisis-college-campuses
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Student Mental Health is in crisis. campuses are rethinking their approach. Monitor on Psychology. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campus-care
Statistics - young adult mental health stats and figures. Active Minds. (2022, November 14). https://www.activeminds.org/about-mental-health/statistics/
Duffy A, Keown-Stoneman C, Goodday S, Horrocks J, Lowe M, King N, Pickett W, McNevin SH, Cunningham S, Rivera D, Bisdounis L, Bowie CR, Harkness K, Saunders KEA. Predictors of mental health and academic outcomes in first-year university students: Identifying prevention and early-intervention targets. BJPsych Open. 2020 May 8;6(3):e46. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2020.24. PMID: 32381150; PMCID: PMC7331085.

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