You’re Not Alone: Finding Solutions for the Mental Health Crisis Affecting College Students Across the Country

There has been an undeniable shift in the nature by which we discuss mental health and illness. We live in a day and age in which most people are understanding and supportive of the mental health of others. But we still see patterns of marginalization: men are told to ‘man up,’ postpartum depression is viewed with an evil eye, and college students have ‘no reason to be depressed because these are the best years of your lives!’

But the truth of the matter is that mental health issues are prevalent in all groups, which is why it’s important to acknowledge issues among college-level mental health patients as what it is: a crisis. At Psych Associates of Maryland, our psychiatrists in Towson, Maryland want to help you find the support you need to feel your best. That’s why we’re here to break down the mental health crisis among college students, introduce care solutions, and show you how you can get the help you need.

The Scale of the Issue

An Honest Look at the College Mental Health Crisis

What skeptics of the college mental health crisis fail to consider are the common issues that students face on a daily basis. With the cost of college rising, college students are more stressed than ever about finances and making it through college. As students that grew up during the recession and housing crisis of 2008, they have a accumulated great amount of anxiety toward career prospects and finances, having seen their loved ones struggle for years financially.

Additionally, college students are dealing with the unfortunate stresses that come with the age: test anxiety, grad school applications, work responsibilities, identity struggles, relationships, sexual assault, and more. These issues mixed with a lack of sleep, poor diets, and demanding class schedules is nothing short of a recipe for disaster.

A 2018 report conducted by the American College Health Association says that 60% of college students have experienced ‘overwhelming anxiety’ in the past twelve months. Additionally, 40% have claimed to reach a point of depression so severe that they can hardly function. These statistics are alarming not only due to their scale, but because many students view college as the only option they have to reach success in their lives.

This high demand for mental health services by college students is a growing problem exacerbated by the lack of resources that many colleges provide. Between the Fall of 2009 and the Spring of 2015, 30% more students visited college counseling centers while the enrollment in colleges rose merely 5%. With this rise, some college students must wait more than two months to be seen by a college mental health counselor.

Plain and simple: colleges need to find a way to serve their students more efficiently. This is more than students coming into a doctor for a cold or strep throat; this is an epidemic where supply is not reaching demand at the expense of young people. An option? Seeking quality counseling outside of your University.       

Solutions for Mental Health Issues in the College Community

Care from Psychiatrists in Towson, Maryland and More

The good news? There are a variety of treatment options available for college students that can help them work through different mental health issues. For students who feel they need mental health care but cannot access it through their university, we urge you to explore practitioners and psychiatrists in Towson, Maryland for treatment. These licensed practitioners will be able to offer a variety of services, including:

• Counseling: One of the most common ways of dealing with mental health issues of all kinds is through counseling, sometimes referred to as ‘talk therapy.’ In a counseling session, you will be matched with a practitioner best suited for your needs who will work with you, typically on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, to talk through your sources of stress and anxiety to develop thorough, long-term treatment strategies.
• Group Therapy: Much like counseling, you’ll work with a licensed practitioner to work through your mental health issues. However, group therapy adds in a support network that reminds you that you are not alone in your struggles, creating a group of supporters experiencing the same issues you are.
• Psychiatry: If you want support beyond what counseling can provide, it may be time to consider medication for your mental health issue. If this is something you are interested in, you will need to see a psychiatrist in Towson, Maryland who can prescribe you the right medication for your specific mental health ailment. The psychiatrist will then work with you to ensure proper dosage and more.
• TMS: For people suffering from depression and are not interested in using medication, TMS therapy may be a great treatment option for you. TMS therapy uses harmless electronic pulses to stimulate the underactive portions of the brain in depressed patients, leading oftentimes to full recovery from the symptoms of depression.

If you’re looking for excellent mental health care and a psychiatrist in Towson, Maryland, get in touch with Psych Associates of Maryland. Our experienced practitioners will help define the right treatment process for you to help you go back to feeling your best once again.