Rates depression college students have surged the past decade. A new study Boston University reports that the number students experiencing anxiety or depression more than doubled 2013 and 2021. They found that the number of students suffering from anxiety jumped 110 per cent. The number of students depression skyrocketed by 135 per cent over the eight-year period the study. In 2021, over 60 per cent of students met the criteria for having some form of mental illness. This is double the rate eight years ago. Alarm bells are now ringing among mental health therapists. However, the number of students seeking therapy has fallen 18 per cent.
Rates of depression among students had been an upward trend even before 2013. Researcher Dr Sarah Lipson said: "College is a key developmental time. The age onset lifetime mental health problems also directly coincides traditional college years." She said: "Living in a new setting, and from home, can often create overwhelming and stressful circumstances." She added that 75 per cent of lifetime mental health problems will be present people the age of 24. Dr Lipson cited the COVID-19 pandemic, the loneliness lockdowns, and school closures as factors that exacerbated this mental health crisis. Many students fear their future, which they see as being increasingly full of uncertainty.
