College Students Visiting Mental Health Services at Higher Rates

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Across the nation, 17% of college students were diagnosed with or treated for anxiety problems during the 2015-2016 calendar year, The Wall Street Journal reports. Of this group, nearly 14% were diagnosed or treated for depression. This number is up significantly from a 2011 survey by the American College Health Association and counselors on campus are reporting seeing more “serious illnesses.” There is also a rise in the number of students who are enrolling with pre-existing psychiatric histories.

The reason for this unprecedented surge is unclear. Therapists and college counselors have speculated that factors ranging from the economy and rising tuition rates to the impact of social media have led to the current rise in mental health issues.

“Students are overwhelmed with stress,” said Micky M. Sharma, director of Ohio State University’s Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service. “The coping, the resiliency is not where we want it to be. That’s a bad combination.”

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Latinos have made huge strides in college enrollment in recent years. According to Pew Research, 35% of all Latinos age 18-24 were enrolled in either a two- or four-year college; this was a sharp rise from 1993 when 22% were enrolled. These figures account for 2.3 million Latino college students in 2014. There is also a large disparity in the amount of Latinos that traditionally seek out treatment for mental illness compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

At Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (5.7% Latino population), has seen a rise in the number of its students seeking mental health treatment. Over the past five years, there has been a rise of 43% in students seeking help. At the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla. (26.78% Latino population), over the past decade, they have seen a rise of 12% each year. At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. (4.6% Latino population), the demand at their counseling services has risen 36% over the last seven years.

To help keep up with the demand at Ohio State, a number of programs and initiatives have been undertaken, including workshops on coping with anxiety, sleep studies, and classes on handling conflict on social media.