Colleges across the country have seen increasing instances of mental health issues and psychological problems on their campuses. A 2010 survey of directors of campus psychological counseling centers reported that counselors noticed the trends among their respective student bodies.
The American College Counseling Association surveyed 320 counseling centers representing 2.75 million students. Increasing physchological problems were noted in 91 percent of student bodies. Almost 11 percent of students sought counseling services in the past year, according to the survey, compared to 9 percent in 2005.
Whether the rising statistics mean students today are more stressed than previous generations or that they are simply more willing to seek help is not entirely clear, according to Jordan Perry, coordinator for Student Development.
"There could be a true increase in the number of instances of depression, but it could also be that we are getting better at detecting issues and getting better at getting resources to people who need them," she said.
Bruce Nelson, director of Counseling Services, said he started to notice there were more visits to the counseling center when it was combined with the health center, which he said may have helped reduce the stigma associated with getting help from counseling. Nelson said mental issues among students might actually be on the rise because of broader issues that cause stress or depression.
"I think technology and increasing communication have something to do with it," he said. "These days, bad news is inescapable, it's everywhere in so many different mediums. Sometimes it's hard for us to unplug from these images and reports."
Elon University is seeing an increasing number of students with mental health issues similar to the trend that is developing nationwide, according to Nelson.
"We are seeing trends of students that are having more complex types of issues, things like family members losing jobs and significant personal loss," he said.
Besides having the same sources of stress and anxiety as any other college campus, Elon may have a certain culture that affects students' mental well being.
"From my observations, this is a high achieving campus, and there is a correlation between perfectionism and people dealing with anxiety and depression," Perry said.
College can be a stressful time as students transition to life on their own for the first time. According to Nelson, being away from home can complicate some aspects of a students' life.
"The new and increased demands of college can throw students off balance and they are away from the support system that they had at home," he said. "Students are confronted with new physical, academic and social demands in college."
Perry said another aspect of the college experience that can create mental problems for students is substance abuse, especially alcohol abuse.
"Sometimes people use substances to help cope with stress and blow off steam. The reason this isn't helpful is that when you sober up, your problems are still there and you've done damage to your body in the meantime," Perry said.