Mental Health on Campus

Many adults fondly remember college as a time of football games, fraternity parties and midnight pizza with roommates. Sure, final exams could be stressful, but this was a chance to spend four years exploring your interests, having fun, and not being overly worried about the future.

But in recent years, the pressure to get into selective colleges has created a stressful high school environment as students spend every waking hour trying to rack up perfect grades and test scores, and dazzling extracurricular activities. These students often suffer sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression. They may tell themselves that all the sacrifice will be worth it once they get that acceptance letter, but even if they are successful, some of these students will continue to be plagued by mental health problems in college.

In fact, even students who have not had problems in high school may find that the stress of leaving home, living more independently, adjusting to increased academic demands, getting along with roommates and managing other social relationships can trigger depression, eating disorders and substance abuse. A survey of freshmen at UCLA found that more than 30 percent often felt overwhelmed.

One in 10 college students is diagnosed with depression. The highest rates of eating disorders occur in college-aged women. Anxiety disorders and substance abuse are common on college campuses.

According to the 2005 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors, more than 90 percent of these mental health professionals believe that in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of clients with severe psychological problems. It is crucial that these students have access to comprehensive mental health care.

The survey found that 46.6 percent of counseling centers limit the number of client sessions. Very few families ask about counseling services, but for many students it's important to know if there's a limit on sessions, as well as what psychiatric services are available for students on medication.

But some students fear a lack of confidentiality, and their fears are not unfounded. After a number of suicides at NYU, George Washington University and other schools in the past several years, college administrators have been taking steps to reduce the risks.

The question is, whose risk are they most concerned about? While many schools are offering stress reduction programs, and training residence staff and faculty to look for warning signs, the fear of lawsuits is leading some schools to suspend students who seek help for major depression. The fear of being asked to leave school could intimidate the very students most in need of help.

Stress is part of life. High school students who learn to manage stress will be better prepared to handle college.

What can students do? Regular exercise is a great stress reliever. Making and sticking to a schedule for studying, socializing and physical activity enables students to feel more in control and create balance in their lives. Most important is talking to someone. Everyone feels overwhelmed at times, and realizing you're not alone can help tremendously.

For the student who is not academically or psychologically prepared to handle college, the best solution might be to wait. Not everyone is ready for college at the same time. It doesn't mean that a student won't be ready the next year, perhaps after taking community college classes, developing study skills and working on psychological issues in therapy.

In this time of high anxiety, some students are so focused on the future that they don't enjoy the present. But they have a much greater chance of success and happiness in the future if they learn to manage their lives now.

Note: I'll be discussing the current state of college admissions at the Agoura Library on Tues., May 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Audrey Kahane, MS, is an independent college admissions counselor in West Hills. She can be reached at (818) 704-7545 or audreykahane@earthlink.net