A Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention for Colleges and Universities: Insights from the JED Campus Program.

Abstract

Suicide rates have risen among young people ages 18–25 in the United States over the past ten years (see Figure 1) [1]. Mental health concerns are on the rise as well, with more teens and young adults experiencing challenges such as anxiety and depression than in years and generations past [2,3]. Almost 30 percent of young adults ages 18–25 have had a diagnosable mental illness, and 9 percent have a serious mental illness, demonstrating a peak in past-year prevalence in this age range compared to older age ranges (see Figure 2) [4]. The median age of onset of most reported mental health problems occurs before age 25 [5,6]. Open in a separate window FIGURE 1 U.S. Teen and Young Adult Suicide Rates SOURCE: CDC/WISQARS, 2021