2008 Woodie Awards
Expanding mental health programs vital to lowering suicide rates on campuses
By Alison Malmon
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: Opinion
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(MCT)
WASHINGTON _ As another academic year shifts into full gear, millions of college students once again are settling in with new roommates, adjusting to new course schedules, and adapting to life away from families and friends.
For far too many, the stress level can be excruciating. The academic, financial and social pressures for both first-year students and upperclassmen often overwhelm the excitement of embarking on a quest for knowledge that can _ and should _ lead to a life of achievement, fulfillment and happiness.
All too often, however, college students feel more loneliness, isolation and stress than they've ever known before. Still others are reliving many of the same grueling competitive stresses and mental health issues first encountered on their path through high school.
Whether new to the college scene or returning upperclassmen, not all collegians, contrary to the generally rosy public perception, are experiencing "the best time of their lives" _ and it's high time we owned up to it.
The statistics are mind numbing. In a 2005 survey conducted by the American College Health Association, more than half of the nation's 17.6 million college students reported being so depressed that they could not function; and 1 in 10 students _ 1,760,000 _ reported they had seriously contemplated attempting suicide.
The vast majority of Americans don't realize that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for college students _ killing more young people between the ages of 18-24 than all physical illnesses combined.
One reason for this knowledge vacuum is because a serious dialogue about mental health and suicide on college campuses is largely absent. Many students who experience loneliness or anxiety have no idea that they can get professional treatment on campus; and, just as important, they think they're alone.
Moreover, many students are convinced they can start anew when they arrive on campus. They assume the mental health problems they experienced in high school were just a phase and a different environment will ease or end their symptoms. For some the transition to college may prove to be the change they needed, but for others that first semester of college sends them plummeting to an all-time low.
WASHINGTON _ As another academic year shifts into full gear, millions of college students once again are settling in with new roommates, adjusting to new course schedules, and adapting to life away from families and friends.
For far too many, the stress level can be excruciating. The academic, financial and social pressures for both first-year students and upperclassmen often overwhelm the excitement of embarking on a quest for knowledge that can _ and should _ lead to a life of achievement, fulfillment and happiness.
All too often, however, college students feel more loneliness, isolation and stress than they've ever known before. Still others are reliving many of the same grueling competitive stresses and mental health issues first encountered on their path through high school.
Whether new to the college scene or returning upperclassmen, not all collegians, contrary to the generally rosy public perception, are experiencing "the best time of their lives" _ and it's high time we owned up to it.
The statistics are mind numbing. In a 2005 survey conducted by the American College Health Association, more than half of the nation's 17.6 million college students reported being so depressed that they could not function; and 1 in 10 students _ 1,760,000 _ reported they had seriously contemplated attempting suicide.
The vast majority of Americans don't realize that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for college students _ killing more young people between the ages of 18-24 than all physical illnesses combined.
One reason for this knowledge vacuum is because a serious dialogue about mental health and suicide on college campuses is largely absent. Many students who experience loneliness or anxiety have no idea that they can get professional treatment on campus; and, just as important, they think they're alone.
Moreover, many students are convinced they can start anew when they arrive on campus. They assume the mental health problems they experienced in high school were just a phase and a different environment will ease or end their symptoms. For some the transition to college may prove to be the change they needed, but for others that first semester of college sends them plummeting to an all-time low.
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