Today's
College Students Experience More Anxiety
US colleges and universities are experiencing a surge in
the number of students seeking mental health services, says a report from a
meeting of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America
(ADAA).
And while most schools do have some mental health services,
they do not offer programs specifically geared to treat anxiety disorders,
the most frequently diagnosed mental illness in children and teens.
They also do not have the staff to meet this rising need,
researchers say.
"Not surprisingly, the nation's top schools are reporting
that there's an increase in students needing and accessing mental health services," confirms
Jerilyn Ross, president and CEO of the ADAA.
"Nearly all of the national university and liberal arts
colleges responding reported an increased usage of student mental health through
the past three years," says Ross.
"We're also seeing a growing number of students coming to
college with a history of mental illness, with an increase after 9/11," notes
Ross. "There is also increased awareness around mental illness."
Anxiety disorders refer to a spectrum of illnesses characterized
by anxiety, worry, and fear, and include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),
panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as specific
phobias.
According to the ADAA, an
estimated 40 million adult Americans are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder,
making this the most common mental health diagnosis.
Anxiety disorders are also the most common mental disorders
to occur during childhood and adolescence.
The novelty of heading off to college can present special
difficulties, experts say. It is also a time of life when mental health problems
tend to emerge.
"The classic issue for many people starting out in college
is separation from family," says Dr. Alec L. Miller, chief of child and adolescent
psychology at Montefiore Medical Center. "They're free at last, but it's a
double-edged sword."
"There are a lot of benefits but also risks and trouble
spots," notes Dr. Miller. "A lot of kids are not well prepared with adequate
internal resources to withstand stress.
"Some kids don't monitor eating and sleeping properly, and
all these things create vulnerability for anxiety and other psychiatric disorders," he
adds.
The report
is called Anxiety Disorders on Campus: The Growing Need for College Mental
Health
Services. It involves surveys with 83 schools
selected from US News & World Report's 2007 guide to the nation's top national
universities and liberal arts colleges.
The survey found that most schools do offer crisis intervention,
individual counseling, and referrals, but few programs are tailored to the
specific needs of students.
Almost all respondents reported an increased usage of mental
health services over the past three years.
Liberal arts colleges reported a higher overall usage rate
(an average of 23 percent of students) compared with national universities
(13 percent).
More than one-fifth of schools reported an increase in the
number of students seeking treatment at college counseling centers who were
already taking psychiatric medications.
"This is a problem that I don't think we've ever had on
these campuses," says Ross.
Less than half of responding schools knew how many of their
students were seeking treatment for anxiety disorders.
Among those that did know, national universities reported
about 35 percent requesting treatment for this type of condition vs. 23 percent
of liberal arts colleges.
The ADAA believes that availability
of mental health services should be a factor when deciding which institution
a child is going to attend.
"This report will give students and parents additional information
to consider when selecting a school," says Ross.
"Our call to action is that it is critical for students
to have access to counseling and other mental health services to diagnose and
treat anxiety disorders," Ross adds. "Many people don't know they have a disease
that can be treated. Instead, they suffer silently and don't know where they
can get help."
Always consult your physician for more information.
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