Did the Pandemic Worsen the Campus Mental-Health Crisis?
Did the Pandemic Worsen the Campus Mental-Health Crisis? Maybe Not, Data Show
Background slide
As the Coronavirus pandemic has continued to disrupt college live, mental-health experts have feared the worsening the crisis. Some mental-health experts have been worried that different counselling centres would be overwhelmed by the demand (Brown, 2020). This has led to longer waits for those affected and less effective treatment for additional students who are currently struggling and at higher risks of dropping out. However, early data from different institutions show that counselling centres challenge the idea that colleges are at the brink of mental disorders.
Slide two
Survey data from different college institutions have indicated that; 29% decrease in students seeking services, 22% decrease in appointments, 57% reported an increase in student anxiety, comparing the first four weeks of fall 2020 to fall 2019, 81% said an increase in student loneliness, 36% reported a rise in student bereavement/grief and 40% reported an increase in depression and 23% of students sought counselling for Covid-19 related reasons ((Brown, 2020).
Slide three
It was evident that students are stuck and are struggling with mental health problems during these challenging times. Majority of the counselling directors have reported increased cases of student loneliness. The other half represented by 57% has reported higher and increased instances of anxiety. Fewer have said that depression and grief have risen (Brown, 2020). But the data stand in contrast to several other surveys this year suggesting that rising distress could lead to a flood of students needing therapy. One of the most alarming data and statistics has come from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (Brown, 2020). Data from this research institute has indicated that one out of every 18-24 year old a group which is made up of college undergraduates. 53 % have ranked student mental health as the top concern with the recent poll taken by the American Council on Education.
Slide 4
Several counselling-centre directors said that their institutional figures have lined-up with different national and have decreased the number of students in seeking mental-health services (Brown, 2020). This has been the case in many State Universities where there has been given many psychological and counselling services and attributes toward the fact that very few students are currently living on campus (Brown, 2020). Even though the national data do not necessarily paint a picture of a full-blown mental health crisis, that does not mean colleges should stop prioritizing student well-being.
Slide Five
In typical semester students interact with their friends, their professors and their resident’s advisers without any form of restrictions. These activities have been prevented by the increased conditions arising from the pandemic leading to worsening and growing rates of mental disorders which have called for the need of counselling (Brown, 2020). Currently, students are highly struggling with the problems caused by restrictions from Covid-19 restrictions. When the crises like the pandemic happen, research has shown out that there is an increased case of the mental issue especially form students who are the primary victims and people to suffer from the problem (Brown, 2020). Most people focus on their immediate needs, which make them get affected by the pain most. Some students will face mental-health challenges due to the effects of Covid-19.
Reference
Brown, S. (2020). Did the Pandemic Worsen the Campus Mental-Health Crisis? Maybe Not, Data Show. Retrieved 14 October 2020, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/did-the-pandemic-worsen-the-campus-mental-health-crisis-maybe-not-data-show