Introduction
Depression and anxiety are concerning mental health issues that a significant number of people face every day. Depending on one’s living conditions, social circle, personal qualities and surrounding circumstances, any person may find themselves struggling with either of those afflictions. This is especially true for college students, who must manage the stress of higher education while also trying to navigate adult life. According to recent statistics, the rates of both depression and anxiety have been on the rise in the past years, creating concerns about the wellbeing of this demographic. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the issue and address it by creating better mental health support systems for college students.
This essay will contribute to the conversation by explaining why college students are uniquely vulnerable to depression and anxiety, while also advocating for better mental health support. The main thesis of the work is that improved access to healthcare services will improve the quality of life for college students and contribute to the normalization of mental health support. First, the position of college students in relation to the issue of depression and anxiety will be discussed. Then, the essay will focus on how access to mental health support influences education attainment, wellbeing and social relations. Lastly, the potential social benefits of improved mental health care for the demographic are to be covered.
Vulnerability of College Students
As mentioned in the previous section, there is sufficient evidence to believe that college students are uniquely exposed to the conditions that make them susceptible to anxiety and depression. College-level education requires much effort and can often be stressful, as students are tasked with learning new materials, staying on top of deadlines and navigating social relationships with their peers and college staff. According to investigations into the wellbeing of college students, this demographic often experiences anxiety. In a social academic environment, the pressure of social interaction combined with the pressure of stable performance, resulting in both anxiety-inclined and regular students to experience challenges. Higher levels of anxiety, then, correlate with a higher likelihood of depression. According to the data provided by the Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (Sahin Baltaci et al., 2021), social anxiety and trait anxiety both positively correlate with depression in college students, to the point of being effective predictors of the condition. The college environment creates a closed cycle of anxiety and depression. Stress from education attainment and the difficulties associated with the process cause students to develop anxiety, which then escalates into depression. Students with depression find themselves struggling to keep up with their studies, contributing further to both anxiety and depression.
Access to Mental Health Services and Outcomes
Improving access to mental health services is a necessary step in helping college students combat depression, anxiety and academic burnout. Connecting the discussion with the above paragraph concerning the vulnerability of college students, it is necessary to recognize the need to uplift and support this demographic. Access to mental health services is noted to be a key component of the process by the aforementioned study regarding depression predictors (Sahin Baltaci et al., 2021). In order to help college students successfully develop into capable, productive and happy people, educational institutions and the government alike both need to develop tools of supporting students’ mental health. This consideration is all the more relevant considering the impact of the recent pandemic, which has only worked to exacerbate people’s mental health struggles (Zhai & Du, 2020). Researchers agree – tools of mental health support must be developed and made accessible to the student body in order to improve the wellbeing of this demographic (Zhai & Du, 2020). Current academic discussion, along with the information received from medical professionals suggests that mental health support tools and services are capable of enhancing student wellness. Baik et al., (2019) highlight that both a supportive environment and accessible mental health counselling, education, are necessary to ensure the health of the population in question. In this way, providing each student who is suffering from anxiety or depression with an ability to find the help they need is conductive to the process of enhancing mental health outcomes.
Starting a Conversation
An additional benefit of increased mental health accessibility for both students and larger society is its effect on mental health support awareness. According to most discussions on the matter, mental health stigmatization, embarrassment, and a lack of education remain as the highest causes of mental health support hesitancy (Radez et al., 2020). Individuals that consider their mental health struggles shameful, or struggle with being understood often avoid receiving the support they need, which affects their mental health, academic performance and social relations. Because of this, the effort of making counselling and education more open to college students is vital to starting a larger conversation with this population.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that supporting students with mental health issues remains as one of the most pressing and important concerns of any educational institution. Creating an environment where each individual is able to realize their academic potential and grow free of mental health issues is vital to creating a population of happy and healthy individuals. As covered in this work, college students are severely affected by both anxiety and depression because of their unique life position. Exposure to stress makes it easy for the population to develop anxiety, which then contributes to anxiety. In order to help students manage and improve their condition, access to healthcare and mental health support services is necessary. Improved accessibility enhances individual mental health outcomes and improves performance. In addition, it also works toward normalizing help-seeking behaviors for those with mental health struggles.
References
Baik, C., Larcombe, W., & Brooker, A. (2019). How universities can enhance student mental wellbeing: The student perspective. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(4), 674-687. Web.
Radez, J., Reardon, T., Creswell, C., Lawrence, P. J., Evdoka-Burton, G., & Waite, P. (2020). Why do children and adolescents (not) seek and access professional help for their mental health problems? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30(2), 183-211. Web.
Sahin Baltaci, H., Kucuker, D., Ozkilic, I., Karatas, U. Y., & Ozdemir, H. A. (2021). Investigation of variables predicting depression in college students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 21(92). Web.
Zhai, Y., & Du, X. (2020). Addressing collegiate mental health amid COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 288, 113003. Web.