In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

United Healthcare announced new survey findings from its second annual Student Behavioral Health Report, revealing college students are more likely to self‐report whether they or a roommate/friend encountered high‐risk mental or behavioral health concerns in the past year compared with high school students, the online news agency, businesswire, reported May 16. Findings further show that a significant gap remains between what college students self‐report and what parents of college students perceive. By contrast, parents of high schoolers report perceptions closely aligned with the experiences high school students self‐report. Data reveal that among college students, 77% self‐reported that they, or a classmate or friend, encountered at least one mental or behavioral health concern in the past year, including anxiety/stress (55%), depression (41%) and suicidal ideation and intent (13%). These figures represent a near 50% jump compared to self‐reported high school student experiences with the same concerns (35%, 20% and 9%, respectively). Among its findings, the Student Behavioral Health Report also revealed an association between more frequent discussions of students' mental or behavioral health and significant increases in the number of students self‐reporting that they felt “supported.”