Why should we concern about the Mental Health of College Students

 

Introduction

 

College life can be a stressful time for a lot of students. Problems like coping with academic pressure, separation, and individuation from family and so on, college students face a lot of pressures. As per a recent study, one in five college students suffers from some kind of recurring sensations of self-loathing and immense sadness. They have to do their best to fulfill the expectations of their parents and teachers, they also have to deal with the social life and sometimes they don't know how to handle that.  If these problems aren't dealt with with the required help this may lead to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among college students.

 

The suicide rate among college students is higher than in any other age group. It's the second leading cause of death in college students. Continuous hustle to perform best and guilt after failure in doing so can be mentally tiring and eventually lead to mental breakdowns.A large survey reported that among 8,155 students, 6.7 % reported suicidal ideation, 1.6 % reported having a suicide plan, and 0.5 % reported making a suicide attempt in the past year.

 

The mental health of college students is declining at a steady rate.

 

College students are at a higher risk of mental health issues than people who aren’t in college. They are also more likely to have substance abuse problems and eating disorders. The rate of self-harm among college students is rising steadily each year.

Rates of depression and anxiety among college students are increasing.

 

If you're a college student, you've likely experienced some form of depression or anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five college students will experience a serious mental illness during their lifetime. That's a lot of people!

 

But what does this mean for your life as a college student?

 Depression and anxiety can be crippling for many individuals—but they aren't hopeless cases. With proper treatment and support from friends and family members alike (and sometimes even strangers), these disorders can be managed effectively.

 2/3 of college students do not speak up about their mental health issues (most likely due to stigma).

 It’s not just the stigma that makes them afraid of speaking up—it’s also the fear of judgment. Students are afraid that if they admit to their struggles, they will be seen as weak or a failure. They worry that people will think they need help, or that they have a problem and should get treatment.

 They may also be concerned about being judged by others: “Will I be seen as weak? Will my friends avoid me? Will everyone think I am crazy or weird for being depressed?"

 

We need to know what is happening, so we can help.

 

When you are a college student, it is easy to feel like the world is out of control. As we all know, life can be stressful for many reasons: family problems and relationship issues, financial problems, and job loss through no fault of your own. These things happen in our lives every day—and sometimes they happen multiple times per day!

 It's easy to get caught up in these problems when they seem overwhelming at first glance. But knowing what mental health professionals have discovered about how stress affects our bodies helps us understand why this happens: it's because we don't have enough energy or focus on other tasks while dealing with our current situation(s).

 College students are at a particularly vulnerable time in their lives. We must understand what is happening so we can help them. Students generally being amateurs have low thresholds and poor coping mechanisms to deal with small frustrations and failures. The solution to the problem lies in 'why' and not 'how'.

There are guidelines issued by NCERT to the colleges on how to handle the mental health of students. Students are provided with free counselling centers in every central university. There are  lots of online counselling websites also dealing with the issue. Still the problem is prevalent, in fact, increasing and affecting a larger number of students with each passing day.

As it is said that we cannot deal with an unknown enemy. Mental health disorder, although not unknown, is a less-known enemy of us. There is still a lack of proper research-based treatment for mental illness. Misconceptions and stigma associated with mental illness are serious concerns. Sensitization- gender and social, proper communication and participation amongst family members and social cohesiveness and harmony needs to be adopted. Health literacy and emotional hygiene are also to be promoted.