LOS ANGELES — The number of college students who are afflicted with a serious mental illness is rising, according to data presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Diego.
The findings came from an analysis of 3,265 college students who used campus counseling services between September 1997 and August 2009. The students were screened for mental disorders, suicidal thoughts and self-injurious behavior.
In 1998, 93 percent of the students seeking counseling were diagnosed with one mental disorder, compared with 96 percent of students in 2009. The percentage of students with moderate to severe depression rose from 34 percent to 41 percent, while the number of students on psychiatric medications increased from 11 percent to 24 percent.
However, the number of students who said they had thought about suicide within two weeks of counseling fell from 26 percent in 1998 to 11 percent in 2009 — a figure that could reflect improvements in suicide prevention and counseling outreach on college campuses.
“Our findings may suggest that students with severe emotional stress are getting better education, outreach and support during childhood that makes them more likely to attend college than in the past,” said John Guthman of Hofstra University, the study’s lead author.
