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New concerns during the Pandemic (Wildcard)

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New concerns during the Pandemic (Wildcard)

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I found this article to be interesting due to it looking into the rise of depression following the lockdown/pandemic. Isolation makes depression MUCH worse in my experience, as your support group of friends and social interactions becomes limited. Another thing that I have noticed is that due to the pandemic a lot of therapy and counseling health care systems are overwhelmed with the amount of patients both new and old,  and that many of the actual sessions have become online via Zoom or other VOIPs to limit possible exposure to Covid 19. The inability to get the care one needs in a timely manner, on top of the lack of in person/face to face interactions could mean that as time progresses more cases of depression will develop faster, more often, and with increased severity.

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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

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Sixty percent of college students say the pandemic has made it harder to access mental health care, even as financial stresses and prevalence of depression increased among them, according to a new survey on the impact of COVID-19 on student well-being.

The survey by the Healthy Minds Network for Research on Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health and the American College Health Association garnered results from 18,764 students on 14 campuses. Researchers say much of what they found is more confirmatory than surprising, but having the hard data will help colleges make decisions about providing mental health and well-being services to students.

Among the results:

Sixty-six percent of students report the pandemic has caused them more financial stress -- "a known predictor of student mental health," according to the report on the survey results -- and 35.7 percent say they've moved to a new living situation as a result of the pandemic.

Prevalence of depression among college students increased since the pandemic caused the closure of campuses this spring compared to fall 2019, while prevalence of substance abuse decreased (see chart below). A higher proportion of students -- 30.5 percent compared to 21.9 percent the prior fall -- reported that their mental health negatively affected their academic performance on at least six days during the prior four weeks.

About 15 percent of students report having a probable case of COVID-19, though less than 1 percent of students said the diagnosis was confirmed with a test. Among students who reported having confirmed or probable cases, 5.5 percent describe their symptoms as severe, 35.1 percent as moderate, 55.3 percent as mild and 4.1 percent said they were asymptomatic.

Students express high levels of concerns about how long the pandemic will last. About a quarter of students -- 25.8 percent -- say they are "very" or "extremely" concerned about contracting the virus, while 64.4 percent say they are "very" or "extremely" concerned about a person they care about contracting COVID-19.

Five and a half percent of students reported experiencing discriminatory or hostile behavior based on their race or ethnicity as a result of the pandemic, and 41 percent reported witnessing discriminatory behavior online or in person.

The vast majority of students -- 84 percent -- say public health agencies are their most trusted source of information about the pandemic. About 60 percent say they have been "very closely" following recommendations for hygiene practices, and about 70 percent say they have been "very closely" following recommendations for physical and social distancing.

Of the 41.8 percent of students who attempted to seek mental health care during the pandemic, 23.3 percent said it had been "much more difficult" to access care, and 36.8 percent said it was "somewhat more difficult."

About 69 percent of students said their campus administration has been supportive during the pandemic, and about 78 percent said their professors have been supportive.

Mary Hoban, chief research officer for the American College Health Association, stressed that the data were collected during a fairly narrow window between March and May when colleges that hadn't used telehealth before the pandemic had to quickly put new telehealth systems in place. She said college counseling centers also struggled initially with state-level licensure regulations that prohibited providing mental health services across state lines; many of those regulations have been relaxed for the duration of the public health emergency.

Hoban expects the picture for mental health access and college counseling center capacity will improve in the fall.

"Not to say that all the challenges will have been addressed, but we'll have better systems in place for the cross-state licensure regulations and for establishing a new client, a new patient," she said. "Those were things that were bigger challenges in the beginning."

At the same time, Hoban expressed concern about the potential for colleges to cut spending on mental health services as they struggle with broader financial challenges. About 20 percent of institutions responding to a separate ACHA survey reported having unexpected staff reductions this summer.

Sarah Ketchen Lipson, co-principal investigator of the national Healthy Minds Study and assistant professor of health law, policy and management at Boston University, said the results highlight a need to protect budgets for mental health support and to make sure that students are aware of the resources available to them, including telehealth resources.

"The challenge before us is what can we do to increase access, increase students' understanding of the mental health service landscape, which looks very different than how it looked before," she said.

Lipson said faculty have a heightened role to play in caring for students' well-being and referring them to mental health services as needed. With students having fewer interactions with peers, athletic coaches and student life staff, she said that faculty have a heightened gatekeeping role. She suggested that faculty should put information about mental health and wellness resources in their syllabi and take time to mention those resources in their first class and at stressful points of the semester, such as during midterms and finals.

Lipson also highlighted a need for partnerships between on-campus counseling centers and financial aid offices in light of the financial stressors many students are facing.

David M. Arnold, the assistant vice president for health, safety and well-being initiatives for NASPA, an association of student affairs administrators, echoed the idea that responsibility for student mental health "is not the responsibility solely of the counseling center and clinical staff."

"This survey's data can help inform what questions campuses can be asking locally to craft both service delivery and design to better accommodate students," Arnold said via email. "The data also helps to complete a picture of student needs beyond mental health. When basic needs (physiological, safety, security) are threatened, that threat carries into our mental health. Students' feelings of economic uncertainty may be the larger threat campuses may try to adjust by ensuring continued student employment, internships, and other career services. The survey also does well to identify that the issues regarding COVID-19 do not exist in isolation to the exposure and public response to systemic racial oppression, which is directly material for mental health and social identity."

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Survey finds higher prevalence of depression among students and difficulties accessing mental health care during pandemic

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A new survey found students had difficulty accessing mental health care and experienced higher rates of depression after the pandemic began, prompting calls for a broad response from colleges.

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The main take aways I get from this speech are that if you are having problems and don't see a way out, seek help. As he says in the video, if your teeth hurt you go see a dentist, in the same way if you're hurting mentally, seek help. Secondly, this is more personal for me, but shame over being "weak" for being depressed can block one from reaching out to get help.

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Shedding Light on Student Depression | Jack Park | TEDxPenn

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Very little changes in cases of Depression over time

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Very little changes in cases of Depression over time

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What I found to be this most interesting thing of this article is how over time our understanding of mental illness and depression has gotten much better, but the number of cases hasn't dropped even with the more effective therapies and medications. This along with the point of similar numbers across multiple studies is extremely concerning.

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Children's Resource Group - A Multi-Specialty Behavioral Health Practice

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by David R. Parker, Ph.D.

Internalized disorders such as anxiety and depression can affect children, adolescents, and adults. While these mental health conditions are caused in part by neurochemical differences in the brain's limbic system - where emotions are generated and regulated - the environment can exacerbate these genetic vulnerabilities. Many of us only recall fond memories of our college years or mistakenly believe that college students enjoy a stress-free extended adolescence filled with endless parties and carefree days that begin at noon. In truth, troubling statistics are shifting our understanding of just how challenging postsecondary education can be to one's mental health. According to TIME Magazine, colleges are reporting an unprecedented rise in the number of undergraduates seeking help for depression and anxiety.

National studies have tracked this trend for nearly a decade. This research portrays today's Millennial (or iGen) undergraduates as uber-prepared academically but extremely vulnerable to becoming emotionally overwhelmed. In a 2011 study, the American College Mental Health Association reported that 30% of respondents reported feeling "so depressed that it was difficult to function." The same study found that 50% of the respondents reported "overwhelming anxiety" in the past 12 months. A year later, the same organization conducted a follow up national study with similar results. In that survey, 25% of college students reported diagnosis of or treatment for a mental health condition within the past year. Of these, 11% had anxiety and 10% had depression. Nearly 80% of the respondents felt "overwhelmed" by all they had to do.

In 2015, the JED Foundation published results of a similar study. The students reported solid confidence in their academic preparation but nearly 60% said they wished they had had more help preparing emotionally for college. Nearly half the sample reported feeling stressed most or all of the time during their freshman year of college. One year later, the National College Health Association reported that 40% of its undergraduate sample reported "feeling so depressed it was difficult to function" at some point in the prior 12 months. Not only have the rates of mental illness risen on college campuses, the severity of students' behavioral health concerns has increased as well. According to the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (2013), directors of college counseling centers were concerned about this trend and noted that 30% of students seeking mental health services reported serious suicidal ideation.

Anxiety is the most common mental health diagnosis in college students. In responding to its student mental health trends, Boston University's Behavioral Medicine team published a three part series, " Mental Health Matters," that provides current statistics and recommendations for evidence-based treatment approaches. Since life causes all of us to experience some anxiety from time to time, the authors sought to help students understand when they should seek professional help for their symptoms. Dr. Dori Hutchinson, director of BU's Center for Psychiatric Research, wrote, "When your mood state interferes with your ability to function at school, like when you're finding you can't get to class, and you don't want to hang out with your friends or teammates, and you're having difficulty concentrating because you're feeling so distressed - that's when you want to reach" out for help.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), these are among the most common symptoms of depression in college students:

Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood

Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities

Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"

Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping

Appetite and/or unwanted weight changes

Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts

Restlessness, irritability

Persistent physical symptoms, such as muscle pain or headaches

The good news is, there are many evidence-based approaches to treating anxiety and depression effectively. Most of them involve some combination of medication, therapy, and life style changes. Increasingly, exercise and mindfulness practices are being recommended as well. Many U.S. campuses are becoming proactive in addressing students' mental health issues by infusing information, programs, and web-based supports into the campus culture. A college or university's Disability Services office can provide accommodations for students who are addressing these challenges while taking classes. These resources strive to help students not feel alone when mental health challenges emerge and have ready access to coping strategies. More broadly, many campuses are stepping up efforts to strengthen students' resilience and grit as they transition away from home and high school environments to minimize the emergence of mental health challenges.

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Anxiety and Depression in College Students: A Generational Shift - Children's Resource Group - A Multi-Specialty Behavioral Health Practice

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by David R. Parker, Ph.D. Internalized disorders such as anxiety and depression can affect children, adolescents, and adults. While these mental health conditions are caused in part by neurochemical differences in the brain's limbic system - where emotions are generated and regulated - the environment can exacerbate these genetic vulnerabilities.

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Statistics on Depression in College and after

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Statistics on Depression in College and after

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This study (stats on pg.138 of the report, or 142 of the pdf.) shows that an estimated 40.82% (after averaging the scores) of college students suffer from depression, meaning 2 out of 5 students are affected by it. It should also be noted that the other illnesses/issues that were most prevalent were anxiety and relationship issues, with a majority of the students suffering from one or both along with depression. I believe this to be of grave importance due to the number of students currently enrolled in college. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a whopping 19.9 million students were enrolled at U.S. colleges in fall 2019. We can then take that currently nearly eight million students are experiencing some level of depression. If we take that a step further and make an assumption that 1 in 10 of the eight million suffer from severe depression we still have 800k people who are dealing with the illness. To better put this in perspective, we currently have almost the entire population of Switzerland suffering from depression and (if we continue with our assumption of 1 in 10 of the 8 million we estimated before dealing with severe depression) the entire population of Fiji is currently dealing with severe depression. This is even worse when you think how this is just college students and no other demographic like high school students, the elderly, etc.

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Why this is important for College Students

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Why this is important for College Students

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I believe this topic is so important for College Students due to how depression not only seems to increase the chances of developing other mental illness, but also can interfere with all aspects of one's life. From losing drive to attend classes or do work, to losing emotional attachment to friends and family causing relationship issues and loss, to even losing the will to keep going and thinking about ending it all. Depression can severely limit one's ability to function, such trying to study, but not caring at all and causing nothing to be retained. This leads to academic failings which causes a fall even further into the deep pit of depression, until the cycle repeats again in a endless loop.

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I chose this topic for two main reasons, the first is that I have seen what depression does/can do to people from an outsider's point of view, and I myself have dealt with, and am still dealing with my own Depression. Another reason is that as time has progressed it is shocking how many new cases have been noted and that it seems that as time progresses the rate at which depression occurs increases exponentially.