Ongoing uncertainties are forcing colleges and universities to increase their offerings of mental health services. Many educational institutions are realizing that the pandemic continues to affect their students; they are pushed to respond to students who are still processing events, loss of family members, and their own struggles with stress, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, loneliness, and suicidal ideation, according to a number of recent studies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a disproportionate number of 18 to 24-year-olds has seriously considered suicide. The Student Experience in the Research University found that students are screening positive for both anxiety and depression at much higher rates than in previous years. From August 2020 to February 2021, some of the largest increases of mental health problems in Americans were in those among the ages 18 to 29 with 57 percent of those in that age group experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The reopening of campuses this fall brought a new fresh wave of anxiety challenges among students when faced with the reality about disparate mask use and vaccinations and their reintegration into campus and social life.
The JED Foundation, a non-profit organization which focuses on young adult mental health, has reported a rise in colleges and universities' investment in mental health resources. Many students are still experiencing grief over the lives lost of close ones. This is a process that takes time and in many cases recovery will depend on the right support, the right therapy, and the right length of the treatment. The JED says that “students need more support from their school administrations and communities to persist through the physical and emotional stressors of this current time.”
In addition, the JED Foundation states that social isolation, anxiety, trouble concentrating, and difficulty handling emotions are top concerns among teens and young adults. However, colleges are usually unsure of how to approach student mental health and suicide prevention in a systematic way.
The seven domains in JED’s Comprehensive Approach
Source: JED Foundation
The JED Foundation offers some recommendations in its peer-reviewed paper, A Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Colleges and Universities: Insights from the JED Campus Program, which was published by the National Academy of Medicine.
In the paper, the JED explores topics such as the growing concern of young adults as they enter into their college life. The study also offers concrete approaches that colleges and universities should implement in order to support their students.
The JED’s comprehensive approach addresses four major thematic areas:
- Promoting resilience and protective factors (promoting life skills and social correctness)
- Encouraging early intervention practices (identifying at-risk students and supporting help-seeking behavior)
- Ensuring access to clinical services, including mental health support, substance misuse services, and crisis management procedures
- Implementing environmental safety and means restriction (restricting access to potentially lethal means domain)
The pandemic has been difficult for everybody. However, we must remember that the entire life of college students depends on social interaction, campus life, and evening outs with friends. Undoubtedly, isolation and restrictions have been rather hard on them, depriving them of some of the best time in their life.
For more information on student mental health resources go the the Social Media Victims Law Center
See "The Ultimate Guide to Money Management for International Students in the UK" for more information.