Finding Hope and Help: The College Student and Depression Initiative
For many young adults, the college years are the best times of their
lives. But too often these critical years of adjustment are undermined
by depression, anxiety, substance abuse and eating disorders, sometimes
leading to suicide.
Researchers are finding that many mental illnesses may be traced to trauma whose damage surfaces in times of stress and change, such as the college years. Some of the threats to college students' mental well-being are highlighted below.
- Depression affects over 19 million American adults annually, including
college students. At colleges nationwide, large percentages of college
students are feeling overwhelmed, sad, hopeless and so depressed that
they are unable to function. According to a recent national college
health survey, 10% of college students have been diagnosed with depression
and including 13% of college women.
- Anxiety disorders affect over 19 million American adults every year,
and anxiety levels among college students have been rising since the
1950s. In 2000, almost seven percent of college students reported experiencing
anxiety disorders within the previous year. Women are five times as
likely to have anxiety disorders.
- Eating disorders affect 5-10 million women and 1 million men, with
the highest rates occurring in college-aged women.
- Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death for all Americans,
the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24, and the second
leading killer in the college population in 1998.
- According to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), 7.8% of men and 12.3% of women ages 18-24 report frequent mental
distress – a key indicator for depression and other mental disorders.
- College students are feeling more overwhelmed and stressed than fifteen years ago, according to a recent UCLA survey of college freshman. More than 30% of college freshman report feeling overwhelmed a great deal of the time. About 38% of college women report feeling frequently overwhelmed.
This site provides information about NMHA's Finding Hope and Help: The College Student and Depression Initiative, an effort to address mental health issues facing college-age students.
This Initiative is made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation.
This web site is in the process of being reviewed and updated with essential input from mental health consumers. To give your feedback, please email consumerta@nmha.org with your comments, needs, thoughts, and suggestions. Please give your contact information if you would like to speak personally about the web site, since reply follow-up will be conducted. Thank you!