ATLANTA — Colleges are seeing a rising number of students who are concerned about their mental health, according to a Healthy Minds Network study.
The organization claimed over 60% of college students are experiencing mental health concerns.
Faith Holston, a CHRIS180 therapist, reported that students who attended high school remotely in the pandemic are becoming college students.
“It’s that standard college stress kind of like compounded with like post-pandemic, like social stress,” said Holston.
According to the Healthy Minds Network study, 44% of students showed signs of depression, 37% reported anxiety, and 15% thought about suicide.
“The dropout rate is also concerning. I know even within my own household, there’s a few college aged kids and two of them have already dropped out,” added Holston.
A gallop poll also showed around 40% of all undergraduate students said they have considered dropping out of college because of emotional stress.
The therapist added there are habits both students and parents can develop to prioritize their mental health.
"Prioritize some basic self-care like sleep, exercise, good diet, hobbies, make sure you get some downtime, avoid over-committing to too much on your schedule... and then also try to set realistic expectations for yourself and give yourself grace because change is difficult," said Holston.
Experts also suggest for parents and their students to reach out to their campuses ahead of time and take advantage of resources offered.
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