College students are stressed, tired, and generally more mentally unwell, now more than ever. In a study conducted for the 2023-2024 school year by the Healthy Minds Network –one of the premier organizations studying mental health in young adults– reported that of students who responded, more than half (62%) reported some level of mental unwellness, 38% reported any level of depression, while 34% reported any level of anxiety.

Dr. Sally Sharbaugh, one of SPSCC’s Licensed Mental Health Counselors, said “Since the pandemic, with students I work with, I have seen an increase in anxiety and depression symptoms and complaints. … I have seen an increase in students’ symptoms of difficulty concentrating, sustaining attention and focus, that has led to difficulty completing school work and being able to study for an extended period. I have also seen an increase in avoidance coping strategies to cope with feelings of anxiety.”

There could be any number of reasons why mental health among young adults has gotten so bad. School shootings, physical violence, or natural disasters could be to blame. A lot of traumatic events occurred all over the nation. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 4,684 mass shooting incidents since 2014. As of Oct. 30, there have been 441 reported shootings in 2024 alone.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global, collective trauma, taking the lives of almost 1.2 million Americans. Meaning 1 out of every 8 deaths in America were due to COVID. In a review conducted by the National Library of Medicine in 2022, children and teens showed high levels of stress, PTSD, and depressive symptoms after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vicarious trauma through social media can cause PTSD or PTSD-like symptoms. According to Sam Dubberly with Amnesty International, Reporters, content moderators, and daily users of the internet can all be traumatized based on what they see on social media. Several former FaceBook content moderators came forward in a Verge article describing their own experiences with being diagnosed with PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder after leaving the company due to the stress they were put under.

In the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” fifth edition (DSM-5), one of the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder is “experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s)” So even though only a comparative hand-full of people experienced these traumatic events, the event itself ripples out through social media algorithms and news broadcasts–transmitting that trauma to a broader audience that wouldn’t have originally been impacted had the traumatic event not been shared.

So, what can be done about this crisis?

Colleges can help fight back against worsening mental health by continuing to fund mental health services on campuses. Campuses can also “host and support opportunities for students to gather, socialize and support one another in real-time, in-person interactions.” Dr. Sharbaugh said.

Supporting and promoting and making mental health access easily available to college students, staff, and faculty can be crucial, as not many can afford expensive out-of-school options. Unfortunately, many colleges are struggling to support these crucial services. The University of Washington’s Counseling Center needs over 200 counselors and staff to adequately support their student’s mental health needs. They only have 34 incensed psychologists, social workers and therapists—total.

Mental health of College students is in free-fall. Students can do several things to improve their mental health like exercising, eating healthier, maintaining a journal for their mental health, practicing mindfulness, and more. If you need more support or help, please talk with SPSCC’s Counseling Center. It is in building 22, on the second floor, in room 260.

         SPSCC’s Counselors emails:

                 ssharbaugh@spscc.edu

                 hkranz@spscc.edu

                 rartwohl@spscc.edu

Other resources:

·   Thurston County Crisis Clinic: 360-586-2800

·   Olympic Health & Recovery Services

·   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: dial 988

·   National Suicide Prevention Chat Line

·   Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741

·   For LGBTQ+ young people: The Trevor Project