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How many of you have received calls from your stressed out college student?
Mom, my boyfriend broke up with me and I can’t stop crying, it’s hard to breathe. Dad, I have 3 tests tomorrow and I don’t know how I’m going to handle it. I’m so worried I can’t eat or sleep.
The college years are truly the age of anxiety. In the last 12 months, 57.7% of college students experienced overwhelming anxiety, 17.3% were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and 8.7% had panic attacks, according to the American College Health Association 2015 survey.
College counseling centers are seeing anxious students in record numbers. Anxiety is the primary reason a student seeks help at a counseling center, affecting 56.9% of students seen.
You would expect any college student to have some anxiety. He or she is away from parents and the structure they provide, taking challenging courses, meeting new people, and adjusting to making their own decisions.
But what accounts for today’s high level of anxiety?
No one can say with certainty why students are so stressed out. Is it academic pressure, financial problems, family concerns, too much technology, loneliness? Every person has unique concerns, but one theme comes up for most of my patients: economic insecurity. Many students watched their parents struggle through the Great Recession, sometimes losing jobs or houses. Students worry about their financial future, and whether that one C or failing grade will prevent them from getting a job or going to graduate school. The stakes seem very high.
As a parent, you can help your child contain, manage and reduce anxiety.
One of the most anxious students I treated was Jen, a pre-medical student in her sophomore year. Her mother encouraged her to see a psychiatrist, and even went with her to the first appointment.
Jen was shaking. She said she was so anxious that it hurt. She was having at least one panic attack per day. It would start when she struggled with a difficult homework assignment. Her heart raced, her chest hurt, she felt like throwing up, and she started to sweat. Last week she went to the emergency room thinking she was having a heart attack.
Her mother described her own experience with panic disorder in college, and how medication helped her. She wanted Jen to start treatment right away. Jen, on the other hand, felt so overwhelmed she wanted to leave school and go home.
Jen agreed to remain in school after we came up with a plan to address her anxiety. She would see me every week for medication management and meet with a cognitive behavioral therapist to learn relaxation techniques. Rather than Jen returning home, her mother agreed to visit every weekend for a month.
Jen followed the plan, with great results. Over the next 6 months her anxiety lessened and then her panic attacks stopped. She used breathing exercises, yoga, and mindfulness meditation when her anxiety increased. Here is the best part of this story: after one and one half years, Jen was able to taper off medication.
Parenting is a stressful job, but the more you know, the more you can help. Here are the most common anxiety disorders seen in college students and the steps parents can take to help:
Common Anxiety Disorders on Campus
Social anxiety disorder: Students who have this disorder get anxious when they feel they are judged in a social setting or in a classroom. They might have trouble speaking up in class, or get so anxious during an exam that they forget the material and fail. They might also feel anxious at a party where they don’t know anyone, and drink alcohol to feel more relaxed.
Panic disorder: People with panic disorder, like Jen, have frequent panic attacks that include a sense of intense fear along with symptoms like palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea. Students might stop going to school because they fear they will have a panic attack and will not be able to leave the classroom.
Generalized anxiety disorder: Students with this disorder have experienced intense anxiety throughout the day for at least 6 months. They could be worried about tests, finances, friends or family. The worrying is so extreme that they have difficulty falling asleep, irritability, fatigue, or muscle tension.
How You Can Help the Anxious College Student
1. Stay calm. If your child opens up to you and hears your voice rise with anxiety, she will hide her distress from you because she does not want to make you more anxious. Encourage her to take a deep breath, and you take a deep breath, too. Listen and support her.
2. Encourage your child to see a therapist and/or psychiatrist at the student counseling service. Therapy will help your child learn skills to manage and prevent anxiety symptoms. If the anxiety is overwhelming, medications can help calm a student so she can engage in therapy.
3. Promote lifestyle changes that will reduce anxiety: minimal caffeine use, exercise, yoga, meditation, adequate sleep, 3 meals a day.
4. Visit your child if she is overwhelmed by anxiety. You might join her for her first counseling center appointment, or increase the frequency of your visits and phone calls until she feels better.
If your child has anxiety, know that help is available. Once you link your child with the right resources, you as a parent can breathe a sigh of relief.
©2016 Marcia Morris, All Rights Reserved
Details have been altered to protect patient privacy.
If you’re interested in reading about a particular topic regarding college wellness and your child’s mental health, please email me at marciamorrismd@gmail.com.
