The Mental Health of College Students

The results of the study on "Mental Health of College Students and Their Non College Attending Peers" (http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/65/12/1429), published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, were released earlier this week. The study points out an issue I feel is often overlooked in the TAY population--the prevalence of mental illness among college students. There is a perception that college-attending students need less support and mental health services than non-college attending TAY, and that the academic success of college students is an accurate indicator of robust mental wellness.

Well, as you can see, the findings of the study beg to differ. The study found that, counting substance abuse, "almost half of college-aged individuals had a psychiatric disorder in the past year."

Most significantly, the study also found that "The overall rate of psychiatric disorders was not different between college-attending individuals and their non–college-attending peers."

According to the study, almost 1 in 5 young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with every day life. This was the second most common problem behind substance abuse.

There were some notable differences between the populations. College students were significantly more likely to have alcohol-use disorders while non-college attending TAY were more likely to have drug use disorders or nicotine dependency. Despite this, college students were less likely to receive rehab treatment for alcohol or drug abuse disorders than non-college attending TAY.

Overall, the study found that fewer than 25% of college students with a mental disorder sought treatment.

I would like to remind everyone, as we consider TAY issues, to not forget the importance of treatment and prevention interventions for TAY who are in college! Many TAY are college students, and for the TAY who are not, attending college is still a hoped-for and likely eventuality. To me, this is undeniable evidence that mental health providers MUST work with higher education institutions to ensure that all TAY have access to appropriate mental health services.

More from the Associated Press (http://www.newsweek.com/id/171615/output/print)

Marissa Lee
CAYEN Steering Committee