Top 10 Most Common Mental Health Issues in College Students

Mental health issues refer to a condition that negatively impacts a person’s thinking, feeling, or mood for a sustained time. Amidst this, mental health issues have become a serious condition in today’s colleges. As we mentioned in our Top 10 Best Technology Colleges in the World post, college life is a dream for many students. But today there’s a huge probability of college students who find themselves mentally ill due to several reasons. Hence, the World’s #1 Source of Research-Based Content, The daily Top 10, let’s find out the Top 10 Most Common Mental Health Issues in College Students.

Can you remember that we previously shared with you the Top 10 Major Reasons Why Homework Should be Banned? Accordingly, college life can be stressful for many students. Especially, due to academic pressure,  the stressful tasks of individualism from their family, and numerous work and family responsibilities. Attending college corresponds to a challenging time. So in this context, many college students tend to experience symptoms of mental illnesses.

College students don’t have mastered the relevant skills and cognitive maturity of adulthood when they are entering college. So they find it difficult to deal with their family demands along with academic requirements in college life. As a result, many students suffer mental health issues without adequate treatment. To find solutions, let’s discuss the Top 10 Most Common Mental Health Issues in College Students. But before that, just go through the Top 10 Best Strategic Ways to Recover From Burnout Faster.

What is the Most Common Mental Health Issue in College Students?

Mental health experts often use the term  “crisis” to describe the mental health challenges that many college students face these days. Because just over 1 in 5 students reported being diagnosed with depression by healthcare professionals. While there are other common challenges include suicide, eating disorders, and substance misuse. To prove this, suicide is one of the Leading Causes of Death in Germany.

Thus, in this article, students will learn about common forms of mental health issues that they probably have to encounter in college. But before identifying the Most Common Mental Health Issues in College Students, let’s check out the rest of the issues in our list.

TOP 10: Sleeping Issues and Disorders

College students are recommended to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Because getting enough sleep is more important for good health. Eventually, lack of sleep paves the way for stress and inability to focus. So, a constant lack of sleep of fewer than 6 hours impacts decreasing academic performance also.

Here, narcolepsy, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and restless leg syndrome can be identified as the most common sleeping disorders. Nightmares and sleepwalking appear frequently and a lot of sleeping issues are associated with stress and anxiety. Stress can be caused by exams, assignments, homework, etc in the college atmosphere. According to Ncbi, up to 60% of all college students suffer from poor sleep quality, while 7.7% have insomnia disorder.

TOP 9: Self Injury

Self-injury or Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI) refers to the attempts to purposely cause injuries. For example, cutting, burning, scratching skin, etc. Often people tend to commit such injuries to mitigate their intense feelings like sadness, loss of control, anger, the feeling of powerlessness, and numbness. It is a dangerous condition that can impact students.

Several studies have proved that college students commit self-injuries to manage their college stress. Because it offers them a chance to feel something physical when experiencing emotional detachment. As stated in Best Colleges, the risk of NSSI can be increased due to many other risk factors also. It includes disordered eating behavior, feeling of isolation, substance misuse, and a history of chronic stress.

TOP 8: Substance Use Disorders

American Addiction Centers mentioned that nearly half of the college students have been noticed under the criteria for at least one substance use disorder ( SUD ). Unfortunately, it proves that substance abuse has become a common mental issue among college students nowadays. As explained by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism ( NIAAA ), college students frequently use and abuse alcohol.

Being entering college, students are forced to adapt to a new lifestyle. Also, college is intended to be an era of independence, and self-discovery along with unforgiving expectations of parents. So all these factors together can create substance abuse issues. Meanwhile, students with substance use disorders experience higher rates of physical and mental illnesses and also it diminishes overall health and potential progression to addiction.

TOP 7: Autism Spectrum Disorders

Students who suffer from ASD display problems with social communication interaction and repetitive behavior. According to the CDC, it is important to note that some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms. Students with ASD present additional challenges in their transition to college. Because they have difficulty responding to the social world.

At the same time, there are issues with self-regulation and a limited ability to cope with frustration, anger, or anxiety. So those types of students often compel to be socially behind compared to others. It paves the way for social anxiety and therefore college students with autism spectrum disorder should be provided with all possible support. While facilitating social inclusion, they should be aided with social aspects of education.

TOP 6: Schizophrenia

As mentioned in Hopewell Community, students with schizophrenia are 70% more likely to become college dropouts. Schizophrenia can be defined as a chronic mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. At the same time, suspiciousness, confusion, social isolation, and sensory exacerbation appear as warning signs of schizophrenia.

Here, symptoms like lack of friends, apathy, and obsessive tendencies are the symptoms that indicate something has gone wrong. But unfortunately, people are not trained to identify these warnings. However, if you can recognize the first sign of schizophrenia, it will be key to getting proper treatments.

TOP 5: ADHD

ADHD refers to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As Additude stated, there’s a substantial growth of college students with ADHD, roughly 1 in 9 college students. Amidst there’s a 16% of the estimated prevalence of ADHD in college students worldwide. Hence issues like academic impairment, comorbidities, and social impairments become common among ADHD students.

So, ADHD students often tend to report their dissatisfied feelings with their grades, troubles, time management, etc. But fortunately, a lot of ADHD students have succeeded in their college life. Living with ADHD is about monitoring your symptoms and also, it is about working towards finding what works best for you. So, it proves that you can create a life that allows you to reach your potential with proper support and treatment.

TOP 4: Eating Disorders

Eating disorders occur during the college years that young people, especially young women, are most at risk. The challenges of college life, and adding pressure are the underlying mental health issues that tend to create such disorders. The most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. It begins between 18 – 21 years of age and according to o Child Mind, between 10%-20% of women and 4%-10% of men in college suffer from an eating disorder.

This disorder is a serious condition and can be even deadly. But fortunately, it is treatable. So if your child may be at risk for an eating disorder, be alert to symptoms. For example, lose or gain a lot of weight, stay away from normal activities because of anxiety about eating and weight. Likewise, eating disorders can be diagnosed when these symptoms are sustained over time.

TOP 3: Suicidal Ideation

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among college students. Often it is associated with depression and as estimated on Campus Depression Screening Sessions conducted at 3 universities Pub Med (n = 898; 55% female; mean age 20.07 ± 1.85 years) 84 students endorsed a ‘1’ on the BDI suicidality item, suggesting thoughts of suicide.

It predicted that students with greater depression severity, higher levels of hopelessness, and poorer quality of life were more likely to endorse SI. College is a time of significant transition and many students are living away from home for the first time after they enter college. So, they have less access to support from family and friends.  Alongside this, increased freedom and independence make students face stress from increased academic demands, and adjusting to a new environment.

TOP 2: Depression

According to statistics from Science Direct, more than 60% of students during the 2020-2021 school year suffer from one or more mental health problems. Most of the time, this proportion of students includes low-income students, students of color, female students, and LGBTQ students. There are 4 categories of influencing factors for depression biological factors, personality and psychological state, college experience, and lifestyle.

The transition from high school to university is full of tension and adaptation because it is a critical period for the shift from late adolescence to adulthood. Amidst, this is a stage full of self-exploration, instability, possibility, self-focus, etc. At this phase, individuals will face the challenges of identity and role transformation. And there’s diversification and complexity from families and institutions also. Therefore, when compared with teenagers and adults, college students are the key group at higher risk of depression.

TOP 1: Anxiety Disorders

Many college students experience mental health challenges and one of the Top most common of these issues is anxiety. Here, social anxiety, panic disorders, and generalized anxiety disorders are the most common anxiety disorders. According to a study based on the NCBI, 71% of college students have increased stress and anxiety especially, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When considering anxiety disorders, social anxiety, panic disorder, and GAD may first appear during the stressful college life. Many students are vulnerable to high levels of anxiety in college if they aren’t diagnosed with a specific disorder. But their symptoms can be short-term and can be directly linked with the challenges inside the college. But getting the right diagnosis will help you to cope with the everyday stressors of college life. Accordingly, Anxiety Disorders are the Most Common Mental Health Issue among College Students.

What are the Most Common Mental Health Issues in College Students?

College students have to face many challenges because they are presented with new surrounding away from their families for the first time. So, mental health problems are inevitable among college students. Moreover, typical starting and attending college may precipitate the first onset of mental health and an exacerbation of symptoms.

Here is the list of the Top 10 Most Common Mental Health Issues in College Students:

1. Anxiety Disorders
2. Depression
3. Suicidal Ideation
4. Eating Disorders
5. ADHD
6. Schizophrenia
7. Autism Spectrum Disorders
8. Substance Use Disorders
9. Self Injury
10. Sleeping Issues and Disorders

Most college-related mental issues happen in the first year of college according to many studies. However, receiving the right treatment can make all the difference for students in both their academic success and well-being. Hence, always remember though college may be gaining independence, you are not alone. However, we hope you will be interested to read Top 10 Best Scholarships in Australia for International Students, Top 10 Most Helpful Tips for Getting University Scholarships, and Top 10 World Funniest and Greatest Jokes of All Time. So, if you want us to be your partner, send us an email or hit the contact form and send us your message!