Mental Health Issues In College Students

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According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 70 million Americans, or roughly one quarter of the population in the United States, are enrolled as students in either elementary, secondary, post-secondary, or graduate studies. 20.2 million of these students are pursuing an undergraduate degree (National Center for Education Statistics). While all students face a wide range of mental health concerns, undergraduate students are a distinct group who faces a unique set of circumstances. These circumstances play an intricate role in the manifestation of emotional health problems. Undergraduate students face a transition period in their lives where many changes occur. Students leave their guardians and branch out to live in dormitory …show more content…
School shootings occurring at Virginia Technical University in 2007, and Northern Illinois University in 2008 show the shift of mental health problems to more serious matters. The importance and implementation of mental health treatment, resources, and policies needs greater enforcement in order to target early intervention and prevent future tragedies from occurring. With the growing number of college students diagnosed with these mental health disorders, colleges should make students more aware of the many options available for mental health counseling. In order for college students to receive the counseling or additional help they need, universities need to increase their efforts in mental health promotion. They can do this by allowing additional funding to provide adequate counseling services to any student in …show more content…
This is not only related to problems with attendance and avoidance, but also to significant weakness in memory associated with depression” (Meissner 37). Along with Meissner’s quote, readers can also see evidence to prove depression causes problems in school by looking at the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment. In this assessment, there was a survey done that asked students if they’ve ever felt so depressed that it was difficult to function. The results concluded that 36.1% of students felt like they could not function due to their depression (see Table 1-Appendix). Even though this number does not hit the 50% or majority mark, the numbers are still concerning. In regards to

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