As fall approaches, new students will arrive on college campuses with all sorts of things: luggage and school supplies, mini-fridges, and sports equipment. But in the midst of preparing for moving day, many have not considered what tools they need to support themselves emotionally.
In other words, what can they do to protect their mental health?
In a 2017 survey of more than 700 parents and guardians, more than 40 percent said they did not discuss the potential for anxiety or depression when helping their teens prepare for college or post-secondary education. In addition, most health care providers indicated that on-campus mental health care was not a priority when choosing a school.
But a large number of teenagers are having a hard time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 3 high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, representing a 40 percent increase since 2009.
Once they’re on campus, these problems don’t go away. A survey conducted in March by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse found that undergraduate students were more than twice as likely to rate their overall mental health as “poor” (22 percent) versus “excellent” (9 per cent).
And a new study that used eight years of data from more than 350,000 students on nearly 400 campuses found that the mental health of college students in the United States is declining. More than 60 percent of students surveyed in the 2020-2021 academic year met the criteria for one or more mental health problems, an increase of nearly 50 percent from 2013.
Experts suggest that parents and teens are now taking proactive steps to help plan for and maintain mental wellbeing during the big transition to college.
Connect with the Advice Center early
Consider contacting the university’s counseling center before arriving on campus. This is especially important for those who already have an emotional disorder or other mental health problem.
At SUNY Broome Community College in Binghamton, NY, the counseling center will begin receiving registered students as early as August 1, a month before classes begin.
“Often the students who come to us early have a lot to unpack,” said Melissa Martin, a licensed social worker and the chair of the counseling services at the school.
The Jed Foundation, a suicide prevention organization committed to protecting the emotional health of teens and young adults, suggests asking the school’s counseling center for the following:
What services are provided?
Is there a maximum number of sessions per year allowed?
Is there a care provider available 24 hours a day? If not, what out-of-hours emergency services are available?
What accommodations are available through disability care for students with emotional disorders?
What is the school’s policy regarding taking leave?
Are other forms of support available, such as text lines or housing advisors?
Check to see if the guidance center offers off-campus referrals and compile a short list of potential caregivers to have in your back pocket before you arrive at school. This is good practice for any student as it may be necessary to seek outside help if the school guidance center develops a waiting list. It also helps to familiarize yourself with your insurance plan to see what kind of coverage it offers. If you don’t want to use your parent’s plan, compare campus health insurance with other options available, such as those under the Affordable Care Act.
“I think it’s never too early to say, ‘Hey, I need help,'” said Ms. Martin. “You may not see anyone else asking for help, but they may not be talking about it.”
Studies have shown that students of color are less likely to use the mental health services offered on campus than white students, in part because of the stigma associated with mental health care, but also because of a lack of diversity among the counseling staff.
Those looking for a color provider may have to take on the extra burden of finding an off-campus therapist, said Ebony O. McGee, a professor of diversity and STEM education at Peabody College of Vanderbilt. university.
“That student may not do it, which opens up the possibility of turning to unhealthy things,” she said.
Embrace other types of support
In addition to the guidance center, there are many resources available to students. Tutoring, academic and peer counseling, educational coaching, student activities, and career services can all help support a student’s emotional well-being.
Contact with other students is especially important, according to the experts.
“College students report that loneliness and isolation and feeling like they don’t belong — those kinds of emotions are very common and challenging in the freshman year of college,” said John MacPhee, chief executive of The Jed Foundation.
Spend some time looking at the school’s extracurricular activities and clubs and think about how you can interact with others while on campus. And consider having a roommate even if you have the option of living alone, Mr MacPhee added — it can broaden your social network and help buffer stressors.
Don’t count friends from high school or anyone back home — a sibling, parent, or religious leader, for example — who has been particularly helpful.
“I often recommend making a list of your three to five greatest supportive people in your life,” said Ms. Martin. “And if you’re not feeling your best at school, you know you can go to one of them.”
One way students of color can protect their mental health is to take an African American history or ethnic studies class and examine some of the structural problems that contribute to stress, anxiety and depression, said Dr. McGee, who has studied the emotional struggles experienced. by high-achieving black students.
“When a lot of black and brown students have mental health problems, it’s often because of racialized or gender-based racialized experiences,” she said. “It’s about that environment that breeds alienation.”
dr. McGee recommended seeking spaces of comfort and understanding. “Go to places and spaces where you are affirmed and celebrated, not just tolerated,” she said. It could be an extracurricular activity or a religious organization – anywhere you can find other marginalized students of color.
Practice Basic Health Habits
In the summer before college, teens should take stock of how they eat, sleep and socialize, the experts said, especially given that they may have developed unhealthy habits during the pandemic. If a student’s basic needs are neglected, it becomes more difficult to cultivate a healthier mental state.
Learning how to support yourself and take steps to become more independent can also make the transition to college less of a shock. Before arriving on campus, practice managing a budget; advocate for yourself with a teacher, doctor, or coach; or spending time outside your childhood home – perhaps with a relative, or at summer camp.
Senior years can be “a heady ride,” especially during the Covid age, said Dave Anderson, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit that provides therapy and other services to children and families with mental health and learning disabilities. “It’s just ups and downs, and disappointment and hope, and trying to figure out where they should be.”
He advised a teenage client (who had slept an average of five hours a night during his senior year) to sleep eight hours a night this summer and be aware of how much time he was spending on screens. His client also started eating healthier with more vegetables, and started exercising early in the morning because he knows his classes start later in the day.
Drinking is “another thing we’ll be discussing very openly with teens in the summer before college,” said Dr. Anderson. Many high school students already drink alcohol socially with friends, he added, and in college they may feel the pressure to binge drink or “pre-game.” But teens can mentally prepare for these and other types of circumstances — including drug use and sexual situations — by setting boundaries now.
“How can we get you to set conscious goals this summer that are related to your limits and that you think are safe for you?” he asks college-bound teens. That conversation can sometimes make parents nervous, added Dr. Anderson to it.
“But if we can talk to kids about that honestly, they’re more likely to set those limits when they go to college because they’ve exercised.”
