New survey shows that anxiety #1 student concern

For the fifth year in a row, anxiety is the top condition of students seeking care at campus counseling centers, according to a survey released Monday night by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors.

Before the last five years, depression was the top condition for which students sought treatment, but that now is a strong second. And many students of course come to counseling centers with multiple conditions. The survey (for 2014) provides a snapshot, through data provided by the centers, of the mental health of college students and the issues they (or at least those seeking help at the counseling centers) are facing.

The following table shows the mean percentage of students reporting to centers with these conditions. Anxiety and depression are each up a percentage point from the previous year, but most of the other conditions at the top of the list are fairly consistent.

The survey also tracks a number of other issues, such as whether the students served in counseling centers reflect the demographics of the student bodies. Here the survey finds that counseling centers seem to be doing well at reaching racially and ethnically diverse populations.

But gender continues to be an area of concern. Male students make up, on average, 44 percent of the student population at the colleges in the survey, but they make up only 34 percent of those who seek care at counseling centers.

A major area of concern for many counseling center directors in recent years has been an increased demand for services, without increased staff. Here the survey had some good news. More than half (54 percent) of counseling centers reported that they gained additional clinical or psychiatric staff during the last year. That compares to 30 percent the prior year.

The need for additional staff is reflected in data on waiting lists to see a counselor. While centers do an initial evaluation and triage, many lack the staff for full sessions with students who seek them. The following table shows, by enrollment level, the number of weeks during the past year that counseling centers, on average, had a waiting list, and the maximum number of students on the waiting list.