Common Mental Health Problems in College Students

Unfortunately, we all risk falling ill. Most of our illnesses derive from our mental instability. If a person is constantly stressed, anxious, nervous, depressed, etc., he/she is at a high risk of receiving various health problems. Thus, students are quite vulnerable because they are stressed by their academic duties. Therefore, it’s important to identify common mental health problems in college students. If you know the possible problems, you have good chances to avoid them. You should read a lot about various mental problems many people face. Using a reliable site that offers some scientific research and studies, you’ll be aware of potential threats to avoid or overcome them.

Depression

One of the most widely spread mental problems of college students is depression. There are four major types of depression. It’s a mood disorder that occurs as a result of an imbalance of natural chemicals (also called neurotransmitters) of the human brain. Due to this imbalance, our brain may interpret information wrongly and it causes serious mental deviations. The main symptoms are:

Problems with sleep;
Increased sadness;
Problems with appetite;
Feelings of hopefulness, powerlessness, etc.
Problems with concentration and attention;
Troubled reading and fulfilling routine tasks.

We all may experience such symptoms from time to time. Therefore, you should not be alarmed if you have them. However, you may really get depressed if the symptoms don’t go away for a month or longer.

Anxiety

A special survey conducted by the American College Health Association in 2018-19 showed that over 60% of respondents felt huge anxiety. It’s a very severe mental deviation that causes many problems. Sometimes it’s mistakenly taken as simple stress. For example, college students feel worried about their progress, panic sometimes, or experience inner tension. However, anxiety has more severe consequences and lasts for long. There are five types of anxiety. The common symptoms are as follows:

Feeling of stress;
Problems with breathing;
Increased and easy irritability;
Unstable heart rate;
An inability to concentrate on something for long;
A constant presence of fear;
Frequent severe headaches;
Frequent and abnormal sweating;
Feeling dizzy;
Problems with digestion.

The scholars don’t clearly know why anxiety occurs. However, they have found the links to genetics, violation of natural chemical production, stress, etc. This is a very severe deviation that must be taken seriously.

Suicide

One of the causes of death among college students is suicide. It’s an overwhelming desire to kill yourself. This mental state doesn’t have symptoms. However, it has certain signs that may tell that a person intends to commit suicide. Be attentive and report the authorities of the college if you notice that some student(s):

Frequently talks about dying;
Has quick and sudden mood sways;
Changes the lifestyle;
Feels constant denial;
Losses of interest in life, etc.

Addiction

Addiction exists in different forms and means a strong habit of taking some hazardous substances. Commonly, students get addicted to alcohol, drugs, medicine, and tobacco. Some experts claim that addiction to video games or gadgets should be referred to as a disease of the same type. It also interferes with normal learning and lifestyle and induces certain health complications. Let’s check the main symptoms. Mind that some symptoms are induced by a concrete substance and some are manifested at any rate.

Troubles with speech;
Eyes full of blood;
Violated coordination;
A constant feeling of fear, panic or suchlike feelings without justification;
Rapid gaining or loss of weight;
Aggressive behavior;
Suicidal behavior;
An unexpected and rapid change in lifestyle, etc.

Sleep Disorders

The fifth and the last typical mental issue faced by college students is related to sleep. Many students have problems with sleep. They are too nervous because of many tasks and a rapid change in their environment. Sleep disorders are manifested in various forms. These are:

The inability to fall asleep;
Frequent awakening during the night;
Continuous tiredness;
An overwhelming desire to sleep during the daytime;
Loss of concentration;
Rapid changes in mood behavior;
Weight gain;
Increased blood pressure;
Weakened immunity, etc.

While seemingly less harmful than other problems in this article, sleeping disorders can often cause all the listed issues. As stated above, it comes with loss of concentration, continuous tiredness and weakened immunity. It means that students get sick more often, and when they are not sick, they feel tired, sleepy and cannot concentrate on their assignments and daily routine. If they fail with some assignments, they feel more stressed, more anxious, and that can trigger bigger problems. That is why students suffering from sleeping disorder and related issues should feel free to address someone professional for help with essays and other papers at least from time to time. The pressure is overwhelming, and delegating some of your load to a reliable online writing service, such as WriteMyPaperHub, can be a solution you need right now. Sometimes it is better to pay experts for their job well done, than not to complete the job at all and spiral.

Measures to Handle Mental Problems

There are several ways to help mentally ill students to handle their problems. Try to memorize them to help your friends. These are:
Learn and recognize typical symptoms of typical mental illnesses;
Consult a specialist;
Turn to a special helping center;
Turn to special societies (such as AA, NA, etc.).

Be attentive to your own feelings. You should be able to recognize the first signs of a mental problem and turn for help to a certified specialist. Make sure you keep an eye on other students too. Thus, you and your peers will remain healthy. Mental health is not less important than physical health, but, historically, colleges don’t focus on it. Counseling and even on-campus therapy are often available now, but they often are ignored by students due to social pressure, not enough information about mental health problems and their threats and studying load. It is evident that this problem should be addressed from several angles — more professional and reliable personnel that answer for students' mental health, better promotion of the mental health importance, and reevaluating the modern students’ studying load.