Walking through an academic building at my university, I noticed a poster that read, “How to deal with stress amidst the pandemic.” In hopes of receiving some much-needed advice and comfort, I stopped to look. After reading the first step, which suggested taking a walk, I shook my head and looked down at my snow-covered boots.
As I continued my path to my only in-person class of the semester, I couldn’t help but wonder if my university understood the emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the country continues to fight the virus, studies say college students have a battle of their own to take on. With the emergency closures of campuses during the spring 2020 semester and the sudden shifts to online instruction, a rising mental health crisis has emerged among college students.
One study reported that about one-third of undergraduate students now have depression, anxiety or both. Screened during the summer of 2020, this report rate became much higher than seen in years past, according to the Student Experience in the Research University Consortium.
This consortium, a higher education research collaborative among the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Minnesota and other institutions, used patient health questionnaires to screen 30,725 undergraduate students at nine research universities from May to July. The report found that 35% of them were positive for major depressive disorder and 39% for generalized anxiety disorder.
The results showed a sizable growth in the increase in sadness, worry and stress among students since the coronavirus pandemic, the report said.
Because of this, universities need to step in and help their students.
Universities must maintain services, while working to find other solutions to the growing, concerning threat of a mental health crisis. With demand for traditional counseling on the rise, creating an array of innovative solutions might have benefits.
A universal, daily screening of students’ mental health might be one component to the beginning of universities advocating for mental health wellness. This screening could remind students to be aware of their mental wellbeing each day and to seek help if needed.
Universities must encourage mental health treatment, raise awareness of resources on campus and include students in the conversation on how to best support their mental health.
When I returned to my 180-square-foot dorm alone that day, I peeked outside to see if the snow on the paths had cleared. Disappointed at the answer, I retreated to my desk.
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