It’s not alarming to see the psychological health crisis that all college students face today. Facts have proven that college students are always at a greater risk of facing any kind of stress than any other age group in history. It’s been so much on everyone’s mind as a major issue, that it’s been leading to rise ofso many discussions and conferences to help solve the problem.
This is indeed a sad thing to happen but we cannot ignore this and should be aware of it so it does not happen. The problem is equally found in adolescence and young adults. There are many possible causes that are contributing to this spurring psychological issues. 95 percent of college counselling centres have been surveyed and the result found are very alarming and disturbing. to see significance with which the problem is growing. All these behaviour traits are because of severe psychological problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible.
In 2004 the Mental Health Task Force on Graduate Student Mental Health at the University of California surveyed its graduate students and found that 45% had experienced 45 percent had a lot of stress and tensions. This affected their studies and general mental well-being badly.
If we deeply think about this whole topic, with today’s lifestyles filled with pressures college students face, it is very essential to take mental health extremely seriously. College students are adults but have little or no experience of all the serious issues of life. They lack experience of real life and this makes it easier for them to fall prey for major mental health issues that eventually harm every stream of their lives leaving nothing behind.
Eating Disorders: This is the most common of all disorders that college kids could suffer from. Approximately 20 percent of women and 10 percent of men in college suffer from eating disorders. Youngsters are addicted to looking good and losing weight. This starts their initial process of not eating as much as they should. This triggers other issues that revolve around food and eating habits. If they are brilliant students and spend most of their time in studies, focus more on books because of the academic pressure. Hence, neglecting food and health. Students mostly have two most common disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia. All eating disorders are very serious and could lead to devastating outcomes. This needs immediate medical help and treatment from specialists.
Addiction: Regardless of any age, people get addicted to any habit very easily. Addiction can be very lethal and devastating for anyone. Young college students can easily get addicted to alcohol and drugs. This usually happens as support to fall on as other things keep stressing them out.
Self-Harm: This is a grave issue which is mostly found to be underlying and it is strange but true that researchers are still confused as to why youngsters actually do this. They mostly like to be in solitude and like privacy. Self-harm can get grave before you even know it and realize it. Hence it is something to take care of asap!
Stress: Stress is a common part of everyone’s lives. Sometimes, stress is overburdened and this creates bigger issues mentally and physically. Stress gets deeper and affects health and growth. If there is an extended period, it is a bad health risk. Keep these at bay by doing more encouraging things about life. Students should be doing activities that make them feel happy and help them take all the challenges positively.
Depression: depression and suicidal thoughts are life-threatening disorders that harm a student life ! This is frightening yet mostly happens to all students at least once in a year unless the student is doing great in all phases of life. Sad enough, you will hear about depression and suicides both very commonly. Life has to be shown worthy to each student. Whatever problems they are facing, they cannot be bigger than life itself and students need to get this obvious.
Anxiety: With stress and depression, comes anxiety. The life of continuous stressful studies, assignments, challenges, projects, and tests can definitely lead you to high anxiety levels. This everyday problem can lead you to some serious health issues. Speaking to a counsellor or a psychological expert should help tremendously.
Bi-polar Disorder: This is a major one. Often starts with subtle signs of depression stress and anxiety followed by panic attacks. Many students who are suffering from this disorder are taken for having mood swings. Not knowing the underlying problem is bipolar disorder. This needs medical attention and counselling to recognize it first.
Identity Issues: The society doesn’t accept all disparate identities even today. There is huge intolerance towards identities that are a little different from the normal crowd. While an identity will not necessarily show signs of mental trauma and stress, the pressure students go through will lead them towards the same! Suffering from this should be taken grave and made to seek help from a qualified person in your college.
In any situation, it is not easy for any student to share what they are feeling and are going through something. This is because most students are laughed at sharing how they feel and are disliked by what they are told. Such students are in need of people who are supportive and patient and not be too over concerned or nagging.
