Rates of Anxiety Continue to Increase Among College Students

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For the seventh straight year, anxiety was the top concern of students seeking mental health services on campus, according to a survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors.

Data show that 51 percent of college students who visited an on-campus counseling center in 2015-16 reported struggling with anxiety. The other most common concerns were depression (41 percent), relationship issues (34 percent), suicidal ideation (20.5 percent), self-injury (14 percent), and alcohol abuse (10 percent).

The annual survey, launched in 2006, included responses from counseling center directors at 529 college campuses across the globe. Just over 41 percent of respondents reported hiring additional staff in the past year in response to increased demand for on-campus mental health services.

“More students are seeking services because we continue to be more and more aware that a student’s health and well-being have a lot to do with their success in their academic programs and the quality of their student life experience,” lead researcher David Reetz told Inside Higher Ed.

Read more about the survey.

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.