Skip to content →

How College Affects Mental Health

Written by Shea Dockan and Edited by Rasheed Majzoub

Image by Cindy Parks from Pixabay

It has become more common to openly talk about struggles with mental health on social media. At colleges and universities, the number of students facing difficulties with their mental health has been increasing in the number of students and so has the severity of the cases [1]. Mental illnesses can affect productivity, how someone feels, behaves, and thinks [2]. Having a mental illness can affect someone at every hour of every day and change the way they live their lives. Someone with a mental illness might not want to get out of bed, not do the dishes, and/or have their grades suffer significantly. There are several mental illnesses including but not limited to depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Each one affects each individual differently, and causes may vary. It often appears during times of stress, relationship problems, or anything else that can change someone’s emotions or behaviors [2].  In the United States, about 19% of adults have or have had a mental illness at some point during their lives [2]

Mental illness is common amongst college-aged students; about half face some form of it [1]. This can be the result of many factors such as being far away from the comfort of home, having to create new social networks, being in an unfamiliar environment, and being separated from friends and family [3]. Between college students and nonstudents of the same age, college students experienced more mental health issues [3]. Talking amongst peers and finding ways to support each other through tough times are ways in which college students (and other adults as well) can help each other not suffer from a mental illness. Seeing a doctor or a therapist is also an option, but many college students cannot afford those all the time.

Social media is more popular now than ever, and with an increasing amount of college students being affected by a mental health issue, linking social media to these problems is quite valid [1]. Students use social media as a way to cope with their transition to university [3]. There are positive effects of social media, but in college students, it has been shown to increase loneliness [3]. It is not clear on how many students do have a mental illness, but one resource shows that as much as 40% of college students don’t seek help [5]. Social media is not the only cause of the development of mental illness, but it can exacerbate the damage done by others.  Other stressors include relationships, not enough support from home, and school [1]

With an increasing number of college students that have mental illnesses, there are services that campuses provide for their students, which can have a positive effect [1]. Although, the amount of students receiving help that is positive is not nearly as much as one would think. One study shows that only 22% of students who are depressed received “minimally adequate treatment” [4]. It can take weeks to be seen by a psychologist and the counseling center only can do care for the short-term at UCI. Counseling is recommended before any form of medication, but the number of visits for most falls below what is considered to be adequate [4]. Regardless, if you have a mental illness or not, talking about it among peers can help someone want to be healthy and lead a normal life. 

Below are services that can help anyone who has mental health issues: 

National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-8255
UCI Counseling Services (for UCI students): https://counseling.uci.edu/
Online Mental Health Resources:
https://collegestats.org/resources/mental-health-guide https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

References:

[1] Hunt, J. Eisenberg, D. (2010). Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior Among College Students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46:3-10. 
[2] Parekh, Ranna. “What Is Mental Illness?” American Psychiatric Association, The American Psychiatric Association, Aug. 2018. www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness
[3] Kerrigan, F. Orne, E. Thomas, L. (2020). Student Loneliness: The Role of Social Media Through Life Transitions. Computers & Education, 146. 
[4] Chung, H. Eisenberg, D. (2012). Adequacy of depression treatment among college students in the United States. General Hospital Psychiatry, 34:213-220. 
[5] Mental Health Guide. CollegeStats, CollegeStats.org, n.d., www.collegestats.org/resources/mental-health-guide/

Skip to toolbar