CNN
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A 20-year-old undergraduate, Isabel is used to working hard. She graduated from high school a year earlier than she did and has spent most of 2021 working on her three jobs. But she felt like she was “sinking” when she entered college that fall.
She knew she wasn’t who she was in that first semester.
Everything came to a head during my Spanish exam. Isabel, who identifies as both Latina and black, overheard a video of other students watching about racism in her community. Her negative emotions grew and she had to leave without finishing the test. She rushes back to her room, angry and upset, smashing her student ID card when she hits her student ID against the door trying to enter.
“And I just started having a full-blown panic attack,” she said. “My mind was racing all over the place.”
Isabel says she pleaded with her parents to let her stay on campus, but they claimed it would take her a three-hour drive to get home, and she immediately took a medical withdrawal.
New research shows that a significant number of college students struggle with mental health, and the percentage of students considering dropping out is increasing.
Two in five undergraduates, including nearly half of female students, say they frequently experience emotional stress while attending college. investigation Published Thursday by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation. The Lumina Foundation is a private, independent organization focused on creating accessible opportunities for post-secondary learning. The survey, which will be conducted in his Fall 2022, received responses from her 12,000 adults who have a high school degree but have not yet earned an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
More than 40% of students currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program have considered dropping out in the past six months, up from 34% in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, survey reveals became. Mental stress and personal mental health were the most common reasons for this, far more than financial problems and class difficulties.
In general, young adulthood is a vulnerable time for mental health, and the significant changes associated with going to college can be stressful, experts say.
“About 75% of lifelong mental health problems start in your mid-twenties, which means that college is a very vulnerable time epidemiologically,” says Boston University assistant professor, Healthy said Sarah K. Lipson, principal investigator at Minds Network is a research organization focused on adolescent and young adult mental health.
“And for many young people and youth, the move to college brings a newfound autonomy. It is in this new level of independence, including new independence from decision-making related to
Ann Estimate One in five adults in the United States has a mental illness, disproportionately affecting young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. Percentage of college students complaining of anxiety and depression Yearand it has only gotten worse during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An analysis of federal data by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that half of young adults ages 18 to 24 will report symptoms of anxiety or depression in 2023, compared to about one-third of adults overall. .
Mental health in college is very important, according to experts.
“It predicts the long-term outcomes of nearly everything we care about, including future financial income, workplace productivity, future mental health, and future physical health,” Lipson said. ‘ said.
And the need for help is urgent. According to her Fall 2021 survey by Healthy Minds Network, about seven college students said one of them had suicidal thoughts. This is even more than the previous year.
Isabel knew she was struggling, but it took her a while to realize the extent of her mental health problems.
“The number one thing I struggled with was feeling overwhelmed and feeling like I had space to even remember to eat,” she said. I was like, ‘I don’t know how.’ But no – I had five papers, assignments, and I had to work and go to college. [class] in addition. And I had to find a time to sleep too. Most of the time I was chugging energy drinks. And if you have a social life, God forbid.
For Isabel, like many college students, thinking about or quitting a degree program because of mental health issues often brings up a series of negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and sadness.
“For many students, this is not what their lives look like. This is not the timeline they had for themselves.” college readmission program At Fountain House, a non-profit organization that works to help people with mental illness.
“They see their friends continue to become juniors, seniors, graduate and get their first jobs. seems to be watching.”
It can create a kind of “shame spiral,” Lipson said.
But mental health professionals stress the importance of prioritizing individual needs over the status quo.
Marcus Hotaling, psychologist at Union College and president of the Association of Directors of College and College Counseling Centers, said:
“Take a semester. please give me.”
We are also working with higher education institutions to ease this pressure by creating policies that simplify the return process.
“When students try to do what is best for them, it should be celebrated and encouraged. When schools put up so many barriers to come back, students are less likely to ask for help.” says Wolfson.
“I hope that in the future there will be policies and systems that are more welcoming to students who are looking to take care of themselves.”
Everyone has different ways of managing their mental health, and experts say skipping school isn’t the best solution for everyone.
Tracking progress through symptom self-assessment and gauges for features such as class attendance and keeping up with assignments can help make that decision, says the American College Health Association’s division of mental health. said Ryan Patel, chairman and senior staff psychiatrist at Ohio State University. University.
“If we’re making progress and you’re getting better, it makes sense to think about continuing school,” he said. If you’re doing the best you can in your day-to-day life and you’re not making progress, or if things are getting worse despite your best efforts, that’s where the point of differentiation comes in.”
He said understanding support systems for students going home, such as access to resources and care providers, is also a factor.
For a while, it was difficult to articulate the issue and argue for more broader attention to the mental health of college students, experts say. Currently, student mental health is consistently cited as the most pressing issue among college presidents. investigation by the American Council on Education.
But as the need for services grows, college counseling centers struggle to meet demand. And the shortage of mental health professionals doesn’t stop at the edge of campus.
But experts say the university is uniquely positioned to surround its students with a tight network of support. To take advantage of that structure, we need buy-in to create a broader ‘community of care’.
“Universities have an educational mission and we want to have a discussion that extends to health and safety education,” Hotaling said.
University faculty and staff should be trained to recognize pressing concerns and threats to student safety, he said. You should understand and know the right resources to guide your students.
Isabel recently graduated from Fountain House’s College ReEntry program and is back in school. This time she attends a college a little closer to her home where her best friend from her high school also attended. You can find out that she has a strong group of friends to support her and an academic program to support her professional goal of becoming a curator of art.
The situation remains difficult this time around, but she says she feels she now has the right tools to deal with it.
“This foundation that I’m building is in constant need of maintenance. Every day there’s something like a crack,” she said. “I feel like I was looking for a screwdriver when I needed a hammer when I was trying to figure it all out. I know there are mechanics and strategies and people to help. It gave me the confidence and stamina to start over.”
