Identifying Mental Health Problems in College Kids
Signs all parents should familiarize themselves with in order to identify mental illness in their college age children.
Key Takeaways:
- The article “How Parents Can Identify Mental Health Problems in Their College Kids” was published in U.S. News & World Report by Shane G. Owens on January, 20, 2017.
- Parents should be aware of changes in kids’ daily functions and social behaviors for signs of mental illness.
- If a child is demonstrating signs of a mental illness, parents should help them seek professional help.
- While only about 1 percent of college students attempt suicide, parents should familiarize themselves with the signs: talking or posting about not being able to handle life or wanting to die, almost total isolation from friends and family, and talking about revenge or hurting others.
Your kid beginning a new chapter in his or her life, like starting college, can cause many changes to his or her mental health. According to the National College Health Assessment, 1 in 5 college students felt overwhelming anxiety, 17 percent felt too depressed to function and 18 percent felt overwhelming anger at some point throughout their time in college.
While some kids may suffer from a mental illness in college, most go on to lead healthy lives. Some students do their best to work through their mental health on their own or rely on friends or faculty with these sudden changes, but almost every student relies on their parents in some manner and will exhibit signs of a struggle. As a result, it’s important to be able to identify when something is wrong. While change is an essential part of life and coming to one’s own in college, some changes can be a cause for concern. Keep an eye out for a combination of the following signs in your student that could point to a struggle with mental illness:
- Daily functions: change in eating or sleeping habits, misuse of alcohol and drugs and signs of fatigue, difficulty concentrating or irritability.
- Social behaviors: not being as open with parents, having problems with friendships, concerning social media posts and not attending class or getting poor grades.
- Behavioral signs: lack of interest in things that used to be exciting, frequently talking about being sad or lonely and having trouble coping with stress or making decisions.
When signs of a mental illness become apparent, it’s important to seek help. The best approach is to help your student conclude that they should make an appointment with a mental health counselor on their own. If this approach doesn’t work, you should work together with them to make an appointment or reach out to a professional on their behalf if their behavior is concerning.
With college being an exciting, but stressful, time in a child’s life, it is important to look out for some of these signs that may trigger concern or distress.