In a recent NY Times article on the rising number of college students with mental health problems, there’s an interesting comment on why the numbers are increasing.
Experts say the trend is partly linked to effective psychotropic drugs (Wellbutrin for depression, Adderall for attention disorder, Abilify for bipolar disorder) that have allowed students to attend college who otherwise might not have functioned in a campus setting.
There is also greater awareness of traumas scarcely recognized a generation ago and a willingness to seek help for those problems, including bulimia, self-cutting and childhood sexual abuse.
The greater awareness of trauma doesn’t surprise me, but the first explanation hadn’t occurred to me. I’d like to see the evidence. My first take on psychotropic drugs for children is that they’re overdone, but I’m willing to be convinced otherwise. If this is true – that more students can attend college because of the drugs they take — then that’s good news.
This particular article has very little information on the students themselves. It’s mostly about how difficult it is for understaffed college counseling centers to cope with the increase.
Related links:
Should grief be labeled and treated as depression?
Bullying, education, and compassion
Suicide in Japan (part 1): The recession
Suicide in Japan (part 2): The Internet and media coverage
Links of interest: Suicide
Resources:
Image: Treatment Online
Trip Gabriel, Mental Health Needs Seen Growing at Colleges, The New York Times, December 29, 2010
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