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In this segment of KSMU's Sense of Community Series on College Life in the Ozarks, Michele Skalicky takes a look at the more common mental health issues that students are dealing with.
Many people think of college students as carefree—they haven’t fully entered the real world with its responsibilities and stresses. But in reality, there are many things that can cause college students to experience anxiety and depression. In the uncertain economy, many college students have jobs outside of school and they may worry about how they’ll pay their tuition. Dr. Doug Greiner is the director of the Counseling and Testing Center at Missouri State University…
According to Greiner, college students face a lot of pressure to do well academically, and they may be dealing with issues at home—both of which can lead to problems with anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle since anxiety and depression can affect a student’s performance in school…
Greiner says it’s been a busy year so far at the Counseling and Testing Center—in fact the busiest he’s seen since he first came to MSU 12 years ago. He believes the economy might be adding to students’ stress levels…
And students who are getting ready to graduate are worried about finding jobs.Across town at Drury it’s no different. Ed Derr, director of Drury’s Counseling and Testing Center and Disability Services, says students who seek mental health services do so for a variety of reasons…
While anxiety and depression can affect students at any time during college, Derr says being new on campus can cause a student to feel a lot of stress…
Dr. Greiner says some students arrive on campus already dealing with mental health issues like anxiety and depression and having to undergo a major change can be difficult.According to Derr, things that seem a part of every college students’ lives these days and things they can’t imagine living without, can also trigger stress and anxiety…
Derr says students should turn off their computers a half hour to an hour before they go to bed so their sleep isn’t interrupted. And he suggests taking a break from cell phones occasionally, too. But he’s not optimistic many students can do that…
Where the Counseling and Testing Centers come in is helping college students learn to manage their stress. That can involve things like learning to eat better, exercising and getting plenty of sleep. And some students might benefit from medication. Derr says if a college student learns to manage stress early, it could impact their health later in life…
Other issues that counselors at Drury and MSU help students with are eating disorders, assault and violence and substance abuse problems. Counselors can refer students to help off campus, too. Missouri State University is looking into getting recovery groups such as AA and Al-Anon on campus to make it easier for students to get help.Links to the Counseling and Testing Centers at MSU and Drury are on our website ksmu.org.For KSMU and the Sense of Community Series, I’m Michele Skalicky.
Drury Counseling and Testing Center and Disability Services: http://www.drury.edu/multinl/story.cfm?id=18451&nlid=309
MSU Counseling and Testing Center: http://counselingandtesting.missouristate.edu/
