A Johns Hopkins University analysis of data collected from more than 560,000 college students by the Healthy Minds Study and released this month found large increases in mental health symptoms from 2007 to 2022.
Suicidal ideation was up 154 percent, restlessness increased by 80 percent and trouble concentrating rose by more than 77 percent. Women, minority students and people experiencing financial difficulty were more likely to experience depressive symptoms.
“We have expanded services in colleges and universities, but we haven’t really redesigned the system. We’re still treating mental health as a service, instead of making it a campus-wide strategy. We need to invest in prevention and peer support,” said Pierluigi Mancini, interim president and CEO of Mental Health America.
The Healthy Minds Study, however, seemed to show a decrease in some mental health symptoms from 2022-24, with suicidal thoughts down 3 percent in that period and severe depression dropping 5 percent. The rates dropped from a high during COVID-19 but still outpace the general population.
Schools have not ignored the issue: One study shows 95 percent of four-year institutions and 80 percent of community colleges offer mental health services to students.
But the trouble is in identifying what exactly is causing the longer-term trends.
In a survey from Inside Higher Ed in 2024, students said the No. 1 factor driving the campus mental health crisis was balancing school with economic, personal and family duties.
Read more from The Hill’s Lexi Lonas Cochran.
