Supporting Mental Health at University
During the infamous year of 2020, a survey by Boston University was conducted on 33,000 college students across the United States, which discovered that their depression and anxiety had only increased since the year prior. These negative emotions were not unheard of beforehand; however, these statistics have only skyrocketed after the breakout of the recent Coronavirus pandemic. Nearly a year ago, these college students attended University virtually, sometimes earning it the name of “Zoom University” based on the popular video conferencing website used to attend these classes. This forced many students to become isolated in their homes or dorm rooms, causing them to become increasingly anxious, stressed, and uncertain about their futures, feeling like they could not enjoy the college experience. Yet, this setup has changed most since the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, beginning only a few months ago. These students are finally attending college in person again, and universities finally have the opportunity to aid the mental health of their students personally. So, what are these universities doing to help?
Increasing Mental Health Services
One of the universities that have noticed this national issue was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which ranks within the top 50 best universities in the country and world. Like many others, their students experienced mental health issues during the year and a half they were forced to take online classes due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Counseling and Psychological Services at UNC-Chapel Hill has therapists that allow students to be seen in the morning and evening in order to better fit their school and work schedules; however, they were still overwhelmed with the demand of students facing mental health issues. Knowing that the need for their services would be higher than ever before, they stepped up their game! Currently, the University provides a 24-hour crisis line and sixteen counselors and is working on hiring another two full-time counselors and a few temporary ones. The UNC system has even awarded the college with more than $981,000 in grants to increase behavioral health capacity and strengthen their mental health resources! Another university with innovative mental health services is the University of California at Santa Barbra, which literally challenges its students to stay well. Their challenges, the UCSB Wellness Challenge and Happiness Challenge, work through an app that earns students points every time they participate in a wellness activity, which they can use to earn prizes. Because of many programs such as this, College Raptor has titled UCSB the 10th best college for health and wellness.
With this in mind, I believe that universities in the United States are doing a great deal to aid the mental health of students worldwide who come to attend after having been through the most challenging school year imaginable. As a high school student who has experienced the stress, anxiety, fear, and confusion of going to school online and in-class during the Coronavirus pandemic, I am eager to see what more colleges and universities of today will do to help students like me!
Sources
Telehealth Program Helps UNC-Chapel Hill Meet Demand for Mental Health Services:
How Colleges Today are Supporting Student Mental Health:
Depression, Anxiety, Loneliness, are Peaking in College Students:
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/depression-anxiety-loneliness-are-peaking-in-college-students/
‘Zoom University’ Takes ‘Drastic’ Toll on Students’ Mental Health:
https://yr.media/news/zoom-university-mental-health-college-campus-kailyn-rhone-famu/
30 Colleges That Have Innovative Mental Wellness Programs: These US Colleges are Redefining How Students Improve Their Mental Health:
https://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/rankings/innovative-mental-wellness-programs/