Demand for mental health resources is not being met on campus



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The college is a stressful transition for many – this is clear from recent figures on mental health.

according to Deseret News, more and more students are facing mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and the number of students seeking help on campus has increased.

Ben Locke, executive director of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Pennsylvania State University, said Deseret News that demand for mental health services is increasing rapidly, about five to six times faster than registration. He says that as the number of registrations contributes to the funding of such services, it is difficult for some colleges to meet the demand.

The Center for Collegiate Mental Health found that among students seeking help, 70% were anxious. Of these, 25% consider anxiety as their main concern. These figures, according to Deseret News, are based on 2017 data for 160,014 students in 160 colleges.

In addition, a 2017 survey conducted by the American College Health Association of 63,000 students found that 2 in 5 students say they are so depressed that they have "struggled to function" and 3 out of 5 felt "overwhelming anxiety" the year before.

According to experts, students may be particularly exposed to such mental health problems due to the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

And it's not just the volume of students that is problematic. According to Daniel Eisenberg, professor of management and health policy at the University of Michigan and director of the Healthy Minds Network, students' symptoms are getting worse.

According to Eisenberg data, nearly half of the students needing services do not receive them.

Randy P. Auerbach of Columbia University and senior author of a study on the mental health of students around the world believes that the problem must be solved.

"We are seeing more and more debilitating anxiety – where, when going to college, students are so worried about different aspects of their lives that it can be a real problem . Students with very severe symptoms who are not receiving treatment may have consequences. "

On some campuses, students take charge. At the University of Michigan, student body president Bobby Dishell and some of his peers had launched a program called Wolverine Support Network. The idea was that students could form small groups and support each other.

Sam Orley, whose brother George has committed suicide while he was a student at the university, was executive director of the program. Orley said that rather than being a program for fighting mental illness, the Wolverine Support Network is a "holistic effort of mental health and wellbeing".

In some cases, the difficulties faced by students can be minimized, according to Kelly Davis, director of advocacy for peers, supports and services for mental health in America.

"There is a lot of condescension – rejecting the harshness of this period of life," said Davis Deseret News.

Last spring, Deseret News sit down with the students to discuss their fears and worries. At the top of the list were the fear of missing an opportunity, the fear of failure and competition at work.

"The bar is so high for everything," said a student in conclusion.

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