Mocs News Reporting the news that matters most to UTC
By: Jasmine Dalton
FRANKLIN, TN (mocsnews.com)- Mental Health among college students is a major problem today. It affects students across the nation, but it also affects students on the campus of UTC.
UTC students sitting on Chamberlin Field
According to Best Colleges, in 2022, 77% of college students experienced moderate to serious psychological distress. 35% of students were diagnosed with anxiety with another of 27% diagnosed with depression. Some other factors that affect college students include trauma, eating disorders, obsessive compulsion disorders, bipolar disorders, and substance abuse.
In 2021, 27% of students stated that they feel isolated from others. Some students that face mental health crisis feel that they don’t have anyone to reach out to or where to get help from.
During and after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic there was an increase in mental health among college students. In an interview done with Doctor Keilan Rickard, who is a former psychologist apart of the UTC Counseling Center stated, “A lot of students had a lack of motivation, difficulty focusing and difficulty finding the motivation to get up and do what they need to do”.
Almost 9 out of 10 students, which is 89%, stated that they faced academic challenges from their mental health.
Only 40% of students think that their school is doing enough to support student mental health. UTC has a counseling center that is located on the third floor of the University Center that offers a variety of services that help students with their mental health for free.
The UTC Counseling Center offer free individual counseling for any UTC student as long as they are located in Tennessee. The center also offers a variety of support groups for students to connect with peers that might be going through the same thing that they are going through.
Kelly Drake, Director of the Counseling Center
A few indicators that might be seen in a student facing mental health are an increase or decrease in sleep, changes in appetite, or missing class.
Tips from the UTC Counseling Center: What Is Burnout?
If you or someone you know might be suffering from mental health problems, you can contact the counseling center at 423-425-4438. The center is open Monday- Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is also a crisis line that is available 24/7 and that can be contacted at 423-425-CARES (2273).
