Family 411: Coping with college stress скачать в хорошем качестве

Family 411: Coping with college stress

CINCINNATI (Sheila Gray) -- There's a growing trend on college campuses across the U.S. Doctors say they are seeing more cases of anxiety, and more students than ever are seeking help at college mental health centers. Young people, on their own for the first time, are feeling the pressure. Heightened expectations about grades, money, friends, and a successful career are more often leading students to the campus mental health clinic. Dr. Michael Meier of Xavier University says, "Every year there's an increase, for at least the last 15 years." Meier helps students cope with stress, panic attacks, and anxiety, all common now at colleges across the country. He says about 1 in 4 college students are using medication to deal with it. The American College Health Association surveyed students at 57 colleges and universities last year. More than half said they felt overwhelmed. About half of the 32,000 students said they felt exhausted. About one in five said they felt overwhelming anxiety, and many of the college students cited difficulty handling things like academics, relationships, and lack sleep. Xavier senior Kaela Allton and junior Lindsay Mooney have leadership roles in the campus group, Active Minds. Its goal is getting young people to talk about mental health. Kaela says, "I went to counseling for about a year. It was a huge step for me. When someone's struggling with anxiety, it's always tempting to think it's just me going through this because not everyone talks about this." Mental health educators say one of the best things parents can teach our kids before they ever get to college is how to deal with failure and how to overcome and regroup. Dr. Meier says, "I think helping our children understand failure is not a statement about the person. It's not how many times you get knocked down. It's how many you can stand back up." Kaela and Lindsay have learned how important it is to care for themselves and each other. Lindsay says "I think we need to focus on being good to our bodies, being good to ourselves." Kaela adds, "It's so important for us to be able to talk to somebody like hey, 'I've noticed these things. Do you want to talk about what's going on?'" Theirs is a generation more open to seeking help, and universities are much more equipped to handle it. It's progress on the road to what Active Minds calls "Changing the conversation" about mental health. Active Minds has more than 400 chapters across the U.S. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION. Follow Sheila Gray on Twitter @SheilaGrayTV and LIKE her on Facebook