Universities once struggling to keep up with the surge in demand for counseling during the pandemic have since scaled up their support services. Campus mental health seems to be improving, and more students are aware of their college counseling centers.
But heightened awareness surrounding campus mental health services has become “both a blessing and a curse,” says Dr. Helen Marlo, dean of Notre Dame de Namur University’s School of Psychology. “During the pandemic, it was exciting for mental health concerns and the field to get more recognition, respect and support,” Marlo said. “However, it has also led to misinformation which can mislead some people about what they’re really struggling with.”
While TikTok and other social media channels have helped students open up about once-taboo subjects, she noted a surge in unqualified people misdiagnosing and treating themselves or others for common medical conditions, such as ADHD, OCD or PTSD. As a result, students who may be genuinely suffering from a mild or severe mental health disorder may feel like they can circumvent proper evaluation and care or that their issues can be readily addressed on their own.
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Furthermore, students may be suffering ailments that have not been formally identified as psychiatric diagnoses by clinical practitioners. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared loneliness as an epidemic. Prolonged social media use can contribute to this isolation, which Dr. Murthy also recently stated was “the defining public health issue of our time.” Western Governors University, a primarily online institution, is also working to combat the lack of socio-emotional connection students and faculty receive through online learning.
“The rate and type of diagnosis does not necessarily capture all of the concerns that people have and some people are over- or under-diagnosed,” Dr. Marlo says. “Loneliness isn’t a psychiatric diagnosis and yet it’s one of the biggest things I see people for in psychotherapy.”
More than a quarter of students stated they “often” felt isolated from others, according to The Healthy Minds Study.
To combat these trends, higher education leaders must take a well-balanced approach to investing in campus mental health resources supported by both scholarship and evidence-based practices from well-trained, licensed practitioners, Marlo says. “If someone is following a program based on evidence-based findings, but they’re not getting better, then you have to listen to that,” she noted. “And if someone is engaged in treatment that lacks as robust data but is improving their symptoms or decreasing their suffering, then we have to look at that and understand that, too.”
Old symptoms prevail
While higher education wraps its head around emerging mental health challenges, prevailing diagnoses like anxiety and depression are still hampering campuses. Over one-third of students were diagnosed with anxiety and nearly 40% with moderate to severe depression, according to The Healthy Minds Study. And despite institutions’ best efforts to boost their marketing and outreach, 41% of students still perceive sense a stigma in accessing campus mental health support.
The upcoming presidential election may be inflaming some of these symptoms. A recent survey of college and university students found that 65% reported feeling stressed or anxious due to the election.
