CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill., HealthLife column

Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL) - 12/19/2014

Dec. 19--BLOOMINGTON -- An autumn of anxiety for college students doesn't have to turn into a winter break of discontent.

The fall semester saw an increase in college students -- in Central Illinois and beyond -- seeking treatment for anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

"The reasons are as multiple as the students themselves," said Charles Titus Boudreaux, psychologist with Illinois State University's Student Counseling Services.

As college-age children are coming home for winter break, parents need to know about this worrisome trend and should respond by talking with their children, listening and getting them help if needed, Central Illinois mental health professionals agreed.

"By and large, students are attuned to their parents' opinions of them and they fear disappointing a parent and adding to their burden," Boudreaux said.

"So parents should say 'You are important to me, I want to hear what you have to say. I have the time.'"

Here's evidence of the trend:

--At ISU's Student Counseling Service, there has been a 25 percent increase in daytime emergency contacts this fall compared with fall 2013, Boudreaux said.

--At Illinois Wesleyan University's Counseling & Consultation Services, appointments overall during the fall semester through Dec. 5 were up 20 percent compared with fall 2013, intake (or initial) appointments were up 30 percent and crisis appointments were up 13 percent, said Annorah Moorman, licensed clinical psychologist and Counseling & Consultation Services director.

--At PATH (Providing Access to Help), Central Illinois' crisis information and referral agency, mental health calls increased from 949 from Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 to 1,116 from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, Executive Director Karen Zangerle said. How many of those calls were from young adults isn't known because most crisis line callers don't give their age, she said.

--At Center for Human Services, McLean County's mental health agency, calls to the crisis team from 19- to 21-year-olds increased from 104 from December 2012 through November 2013 to 143 from December 2013 through November 2014, Crisis Program Manager Meghan Moser said.

"I've definitely seen an increase in adolescents and young adults presenting with diagnosable stress, depression and anxiety," said Chris Cashen, licensed clinical professional counselor with OSF Behavioral Health.

The trend isn't unique to Central Illinois. While Moorman reports that 25 percent of IWU students are on anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications, she is quick to point out that is consistent with the national average for college students.

An article this fall in "Monitor on Psychology," a publication of the American Psychological Association, reported that one-third of U.S. college students in the previous 12 months had difficulty functioning because of depression and almost half felt overwhelmed with anxiety.

College life stressors -- worry about projects, final exams and grades; time-management difficulties; relationship issues; sexual identity concerns; financial headaches; dealing long-distance with losses back home; and worry about broader societal issues -- aren't new.

What's different is these issues appear to be accentuated. Social media can bring up those issues constantly and students who can't manage their time on Facebook may find themselves behind schedule and downbeat.

In addition, "The economy doesn't seem to be turning around," which adds pressure to students who need a job after graduation to begin paying off student loans, Moorman said.

"A college degree used to be the golden ticket to a good job," Cashen said. "That's not true anymore."

Furthermore, students haven't been isolated from this fall's controversies, from the uproar over the Ferguson decision to ISIS beheadings, Cashen said.

Then there's students' proximity to other students -- which can be a comfort or a strain. Just as people in the workplace experience anxiety when a co-worker is laid off, college students get hurt when a classmate attempts suicide.

"Fear is contagious," Cashen said.

Mental health issues also are more prevalent because there are students attending college who wouldn't have been able to be college students a generation ago, Boudreaux and Moorman said.

Thanks to medication, therapy and support, students with anxiety disorder, clinical depression, less profound autism and other disorders are able to attend college.

The problem is when some of those students lose the support system they had at home and in high school, when they stop going to therapy or if their college doesn't offer the support they need or if they don't keep up with their medication, things can go awry.

But there are things parents can do while their college students are home during winter break.

If parents know their students were in a mental health crisis during the fall semester, ask them how their appointment went at the student counseling service. Encourage the student to make another appointment.

Work with the student to get him or her an appointment to see their primary care physician during winter break. A physical health problem -- such as low iron or high or low blood pressure -- may be a contributing problem, Cashen said.

But with all students -- whether you're aware of a mental health problem or not -- it's important to talk with them during the next couple of weeks.

"The focus is not on what to say but how to listen," Boudreaux said. "Listen when the student wants to talk. Listen without judgment."

If the student doesn't begin the conversation, ask them how they are doing, how their semester went and see where the conversation goes.

"Be supportive," Moser said. "Show an interest in what they're saying."

"Focus on their behavior," Boudreaux said. "For example, talk about the poor grade rather than judging the student. Ask them how you can help. If they request therapy and medication, work with them."

"Parents shouldn't rush in and fix things because these are young adults who need to learn how to make their way in the world," Boudreaux said. "But we should offer support."

"Talk with the students about their coping strategies that worked in high school," Moorman said. "Ask them if they're eating well, getting enough sleep and exercising."

"Home should be a nice refuge," Cashen said. "Students need to be told 'No matter what, this is your home.'"

___

(c)2014 The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.)

Visit The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.) at www.pantagraph.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC