New Concerns Arise About Mental Health Of College Students

BOSTON (CBS) – New concerns arise about the mental health of students on college campuses all across the country. Dr. Gene Beresin, a psychiatrist and Executive Director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, says 50% to 60% of college students have a psychiatric disorder. “What I’m including in that is the use of substances, anxiety, depression, problems with relationships, break-ups, academic problems, learning disabilities, attentional problems,” says Dr. Beresin. “If you add them all up 50% doesn’t seem that high.” Some undergraduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) agree. “People go through tough times,” says Dane Erickson, a rising junior from Naples, Florida. “It’s really stressful sometimes here at school.” “I know a couple of friends who had a difficult first semester last year,” explains Maddie Burgoyne, a rising sophomore from Michigan. Dr. Beresin says the suicide rate in college in astronomical. “A college student kills himself every day,” he says. Maddie is also concerned about the higher than average suicide rate a MIT. “I think that’s something unique to MIT,” she says, “you can’t blame the institute itself. The type of student that goes here often puts a lot of pressure on themselves.” Dr. Beresin says the brain doesn’t fully mature until age 26 so college students are put in a difficult situation. “Living alone, not being prepare...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Syndicated Local Dr. Mallika Marshall MIT Source Type: news