The State of Mental Health on U.S. College Campuses
Nearly one in 10 college students is receiving counseling from on-campus mental health professionals.
We all are aware of the mental health crisis our nation is currently experiencing, and many CS readers on college campuses have seen first-hand the effect this crisis is having on students. Attempted or completed suicides, as well as threats of violence are just some of the ways mental health issues are manifesting on campus.
According to an article I just came across from Cincinnati.com, nearly one in 10 college students is receiving counseling from on-campus mental health professionals, and the demand for these services is at a record high. Anxiety disorders appear to be the most common illness being treated, whereas in previous generations the most common mental health issue that counselors dealt with was depression.
“…colleges are also responding to a new group of highly stressed students arriving on campus every fall, accustomed to therapy and pharmaceuticals.
“Counselors say that in previous generations, those students probably would have struggled through high school, perhaps without counseling or drugs, and would never have been able to handle the academics or other stressors associated with going to college.
“The expansion of special education programs as early as elementary school has made it easier for those students to go on to college. But once they are there, it can be a strain on both the student and the college.”
I highly recommend you read this article as it provides a clear view of the current state of mental health treatment in higher ed.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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