Is anxiety having a major effect on today's college student?
A recent study by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health seems to suggest that.
More than half of the more than 100,000 students surveyed say anxiety is a health concern of theirs.
Ben Locke is the director of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. He told KNPR’s State of Nevada that the numbers are “reflective of what we’re seeing in higher education.”
Locke said since the late 1990s, the top mental health concern for students has shifted from depression to anxiety.
“Some people theorize that students are under pressure a lot earlier in their lives at a much younger developmental age,” Locke said.
Phoebe Kuo is the director of Counseling and Psychological Services at UNLV. She said many students struggle to transition into their new found freedom, and others have trouble with the pressures of higher education.
“I would say it is a multi-faceted problem for most students, especially for this generation,” Kuo said.
Anxiety symptoms can include trouble sleeping, panic attacks, difficulty concentrating and physical illness. Often depression and anxiety cross over.
“I see that sometimes anxiety can roll into depression because the anxiety is so high that it is immobilizing and really having an impact on their daily functioning,” Kuo said.
Locke believes students often look for a quick fix instead of a long-term solution.
“One of the struggles that were coping with in higher education is that students and their families coming to college are seeking very rapid quick fixes to minor periods of discomfort, which are actually normal,” Locke said.
Joseph Kithas is the staff psychiatrist for students at UNLV. He aims for a long-term fix for the students he works with.
“We want students to have therapy first and medications as a last resort,” Kithas said.
Kithas said counselors work to give students skills for dealing with anxiety instead of a pill. He also said they work for wrap-around services for students.
Locke said he is happy to see UNLV is focusing on therapy first instead of medications. He pointed out anxiety and depression are a normal part of most people’s lives.
“We shouldn’t be responding to every instance of anxiety or depression as a disease or a disorder, but rather as a generally normative human experience,” Locke said.
Dr. Ben Locke, director, Center for Collegiate Mental Health; Dr. Phoebe Kuo, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at UNLV; Dr. Joseph Kithas, UNLV staff psychiatrist for students
