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Almost Half of All College
Students Need Mental Health Services before Graduation
Experts contend that psychiatric
problems on the Nation's campuses have become a mental health crisis.
Nearly 50% of college students are likely to suffer some degree
of depression, according to Richard Kadison, Chief of Mental Health
Services at Harvard University and author of College of the Overwhelmed,
a recent book about the college mental health crisis. At the recent
annual meeting of the American Medical Association, members called
for increased mental health services on college campuses. A 13-year
study of 13,257 students conducted by Kansas State University officials
showed that the number of students seeking school counselors for
depression had doubled and the number reporting suicidal thoughts
had tripled.
Most of the students seeking
help were upperclassmen. A Univ. Of Pittsburg study released in
2006 revealed that nationally, the number of college counseling
center clients on psychiatric medication rose from 9% in 1994 to
25% in 2005. The Pittsburgh study found that an increase in severe
psychological problems among college students was first noticed
in 1988, when 56% of more than 300 counseling center directors reported
an increase in more severe cases. In the 2005 survey, 90% of the
366 center directors reported increasing problems. This is all happening
during a time when State support for higher education has been reduced
and funding is a constant concern.
Article courtesy SAMHSA
Behavioral Health Headlines
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