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The mental health crisis amongst college students

The importance of addressing mental health on college campuses has become increasingly pressing in recent years.

To say that college mental health is in crisis would be an understatement. The college years are supposed to be full of self-discovery, growth, and exploration, but the truth is many students face severe, potentially damaging mental health difficulties.

The first step in helping college students’ mental health journeys is understanding what factors contribute to their struggles. Then, we can find effective ways to support college students' mental health. This is an urgent call to action — learn more about how to help college students with mental health issues.

Common mental health issues in college students

While college can be a period of excitement and discovery, it simultaneously presents challenges of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty.Studies showthat nearly half of all college students faced a psychiatric disorder within the last 12 months, and unfortunately, less than a quarter of them sought treatment. While mental health concerns can run the gamut in types of conditions and severity, some issues are more common in the college student age group.

Psychiatric conditions

The intense pressures of higher education can sometimes trigger serious psychiatric conditions in certain individuals. Schizophrenia and bipolar diagnoses have increased in recent years.

Research findsthat almost half (47%) of people with schizophrenia and nearly three-quarters (70%) of people living with bipolar disorder will drop out of college. These statistics alone demonstrate the vital need for colleges to offer support and easy-to-access mental health services on or close to campus.

Depression

Depression is a commoncollege mental health concern. It can result from intense pressure, high academic demands, separation from the family unit, not having a familiar support system, or peer pressure, among other things.

Depression encompasses more than temporary feelings of sadness or being ‘down’; it’s a pervasive and persistent emotional state. Left untreated, it can quickly become debilitating, causing an overwhelming sense of sadness that may interfere with the ability to function normally, complete tasks, and stay on top of studies. It can impact physical and mental health and lead to additional complications.

Stress and anxiety

One surveyof more than 3,000 people found that 56% of college students experience persistent and chronic stress over long periods.

Chronic stress has been linked to numerous physical and mental health issues.Some researchfound that it can result in physical health concerns such as headaches, heart disease, and increased risk of cancer, stroke, or high blood pressure. Mental health issues related to long-term stresscan includeanxiety, depression, and concentration impairment.

Fear of sexual assault

Fear of campus sexual assault (CSA) adds another level of stress when it comes to college students’ mental health. Bysome estimates, up to 25% of females in college might experience CSA. First-year students and women are at the highest risk, especially during what’s known as “The Red Zone” – the beginning of the academic year, typically mid-late-August through November.

Compounding this issue is the drastic underreporting of campus sexual assaults, with anestimated 90%of such incidents going unreported.

Lack of support and services

A lack of support services in higher education can leave many college students struggling, feeling alone, and unsure of their options during this critical period in their lives. The lack of mental health resource options commonly leads to additional and deeper psychological concerns down the road.

Financial issues

Even for students benefiting from financial aid, grants, scholarships, or loans, the looming financial pressures can adversely affect their mental well-being. Financial obligations from tuition, living expenses, books and technology fees, and student loans can trigger chronic stress and anxiety.

Family issues

Family dynamics can play a significant role in student mental health. Whether a college student is simply homesick or had a broken or stressful home life before college, family issues can have long-term impacts on their mental well-being.

What causes mental health issues in college students?

Several factors can contribute to a decline in mental health in college students.

“College is a completely new experience that occurs developmentally after formative years. Even if memory-making wasn’t perfect, high school is a time when we uniquely begin to explore comforts, interests, and peer groups. When we leave that behind to seemingly start anew, it can be disorienting and anxiety-provoking to leave everything familiar. It’s common for college students to feel lonely in a new environment.”Talkspace therapist Elizabeth Keohan, LCSW-C, LICSW, LCSW

The impact of poor mental health amongst college students

Poor mental health can erode the college experience. Lack of mental health care can affect academic performance and hamper social interactions, with long-term implications that can be difficult to recover from.

Academic performance and dropout rates

Students who struggle with mental health can have lower GPAs, higher rates ofchronic absenteeism, and are at greater risk of dropping out. It’s not surprising that conditions like anxiety and depression can affect a student’s ability to focus, show up to class, and be excited about their academic future, and can even bereasons for low graduation rates. Ensuring students have access to mental health resources is a proactivesolution to absenteeism in schools.

Social interactions and personal relationships

Poor mental health in young adults can affect more than just academics. It can spill over into personal lives and relationships, too.

Some students who are struggling with their mental health might find it difficult to form or sustain authentic and positive relationships. Isolation, self-doubt, and fear of social interaction can affect the ability to develop rewarding relationships.

Long-term mental health implications

Poor mental health can immediately and adversely affect academic performance and interpersonal relationships, and if left untreated, it can establish a foundation for more enduring and complex issues in the future.

Early intervention is a critical determiner of optimal outcomes and success in treating mental health concerns. Thus, addressing these concerns today can be a game-changer in years to come.

How to support the mental health of college students

Taking action is the best way we can address college students’ mental health needs. Tosupport student mental health, we can offer help in the following simple, easy-to-implement ways.

Mental health on college campuses is a pressing issue for today’s students. Colleges must recognize and address the critical need for mental health support and raise mental health awareness, encompassing a range of issues from depression and anxiety to academic pressure and various social or personal challenges. Dedicatingmental health days for studentsand providing them with access to mental health resources is pivotal in ensuring their long-term success.

Talkspace is an online therapy platform that provides accessible, convenient online therapy for students when, where, and how they need it. Talkspace therapists make getting help and treatment easy, which can increase the likelihood that students will actually seek support.

Learn more about how Talkspace can help college students navigate and overcome mental health challenges — help is out there, and Talkspace wants to ensure every student can get it.

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Sources:

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