College Student Mental Health Statistics | BestColleges (2024)

Most students say their mental health has worsened in college. Here's how many experience common mental health conditions.

Note: This article discusses suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available to anyone 24/7.

We'd like to think of the college experience as a time for achievement, self-discovery, and making new friends — and it might be all that. But going to college also introduces new pressures, life changes, and sometimes disappointment and loss.

Over half (51%) of the 1,000 undergraduate college students we surveyed in our College Student Mental Health Report said their mental health worsened during college. Other survey research also finds high levels of mental health conditions in students.

Mental health challenges are common, especially in college. Knowing the most common conditions and causes can help students understand their risks and resources. This report covers recent data on mental health in college students.

How Many College Students Experience Mental Health Conditions?

The American College Health Association's (ACHA) Spring 2022 National College Health Assessment surveyed over 54,000 undergraduate students. It revealed that approximately 77% were experiencing moderate to serious psychological distress.^{Note Reference [1]}

• 79% of surveyed students reported they had experienced moderate or high stress levels within the last 30 days.
• 54% met the criteria for experiencing loneliness.
• 29% met the criteria for suicidal ideation, while 3% reported attempting suicide in the past year.
• 12% had intentionally injured themselves within the year.

Common Mental Health Conditions in College Students

Anxiety and depression are some of college students' most commonly diagnosed mental health conditions. In ACHA's survey:^{Note Reference [2]}

• More than a third of students (35%) had been diagnosed with anxiety.
• 27% had been diagnosed with depression
• 8% had been diagnosed with a trauma or stressor-related disorder, such as PTSD.
• A significant number of students also manage other mental health diagnoses.

Anxiety

While anxiety is a common and normal reaction to stress, anxiety disorders can disrupt students' daily lives.^[6]

• 35% of students said they had been diagnosed with anxiety.^{Note Reference [2]}
• 34% of all students surveyed said anxiety negatively impacted their performance in class during the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}
• 4% said anxiety had delayed their progress toward their degree.^{Note Reference [2]}

Around 77% of these students had an appointment or discussion about their anxiety with a healthcare professional within the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

• 48% of surveyed students who discussed their anxiety with a healthcare professional used both medicine and therapy treatments.
• 24% used therapy only.
• 20% used medicine only.
• 7% did not utilize medicine, therapy, or any other treatment for their anxiety.

Depression

Depression —a mood disorder impacting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors — commonly crops up in college.

• 27% of college students had been diagnosed with depression or another mood disorder.^{Note Reference [2]}
• 23% said depression negatively impacted their academic performance in the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}
• 5% said depression delayed their progress toward their degree.^{Note Reference [2]}

Seventy-eight percent of these students reported discussing their depression with a healthcare professional within the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

• 55% utilized both medicine and therapy as treatments for their depression within the last 12 months.
• 21% used therapy only.
• 18% used medicine only.
• 5% did not utilize medicine, therapy, or any other treatment for their depression.

Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

Trauma and stressor-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can occur after experiencing a traumatic event. They can affect a person's mental, physical, and social well-being.^{Note Reference [6]}

• 8% of students had been diagnosed with a trauma or stressor-related disorder like PTSD, acute stress disorder, or adjustment disorder in their lifetime.^{Note Reference [2]}
• 3% said their trauma-related disorder negatively impacted their academic performance in the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}
• About 1% said their trauma-related disorder delayed their progress toward a degree.^{Note Reference [2]}

Approximately 74% of students who were diagnosed with a trauma-related disorder reported that they had discussed their condition with a healthcare professional within the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

• 45% of surveyed students used therapy only as a treatment.
• 42% utilized both medicine and therapy.
• 6% used medicine only.
• 7% did not utilize medicine, therapy, or any other treatment.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, pica, and more conditions. They can involve distressing or obsessive thoughts about food and dangerous eating behaviors.^{Note Reference [6]}

• 7% of college students had been diagnosed with an eating disorder by a healthcare professional in their lifetime.^{Note Reference [2]}
• 4% said their eating disorder negatively impacted their academic performance in the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

56% of students who were diagnosed with an eating disorder reported that they had discussed their condition with a healthcare professional within the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

• 54% of these students used therapy only as a treatment for their eating disorder.
• 21% used both medicine and therapy.
• 18% did not utilize medicine, therapy, or any other treatment for their eating disorder.
• 4% used medicine only as a treatment.

In addition to students formally diagnosed with an eating disorder, some go undiagnosed. According to the 2021 Healthy Minds Study, which surveyed over 100,000 college students:^{Note Reference [3]}

• 12% of students met the criteria for likely having an eating disorder.
• 1 in 4 (25%) said they needed to be very thin to feel good about themselves.

Multiple nonprofits and helplines support people with eating disorders in getting help to start feeling better.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions involve intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive actions (compulsions). This can seriously interfere with your day-to-day life as a college student.

Six percent of college students had been diagnosed with OCD or another related condition, like trichotillomania.^{Note Reference [2]}

68% of diagnosed students had discussed their condition with a healthcare professional within the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

• 48% of these students utilized both medicine and therapy as treatments.
• 31% used therapy only.
• 11% used medicine only.
• About 10% did not utilize medicine, therapy, or any other treatment.

Bipolar and Related Conditions

Living with bipolar disorder can look like navigating intense emotions and swings in energy levels, from restlessness to major fatigue.^{Note Reference [6]}

About 3% of college students had been diagnosed with bipolar I, bipolar II, or a hypomanic episode.^{Note Reference [2]}

77% of diagnosed students had discussed their condition with a healthcare professional within the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

• 62% of these students used both medicine and therapy as treatments.
• 20% used medicine only.
• About 12% used therapy only.
• About 7% did not utilize medicine, therapy, or any other treatment.

Substance Use Disorders

Someone with an addiction or substance use disorder may have disruptive thoughts about using drugs or other substances. Their drug use could cause problems in their daily lives and relationships.^{Note Reference [6]}

Slightly over 1% of college students reported being professionally diagnosed with an addiction or substance use disorder.^{Note Reference [2]}

Among those students, 46% had seen a healthcare or mental health professional for their condition in the past 12 months.^{Note Reference [2]}

• 52% of these students used therapy only as a treatment.
• 21% used both medicine and therapy.
• 3% used medicine only.
• 19% did not utilize medicine, therapy, or any other treatment.

If you're experiencing substance use disorder, please call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for information about treatment.

Causes and Triggers Impacting College Students' Mental Health

Various factors can impact your mental health at any age or stage in life. The transition to college comes with special challenges.

Academic Pressure

Students often face new academic pressures throughout their transition into college life.

• During the spring 2022 term, approximately 51% of surveyed students said that over the last 12 months they had problems or challenges with their academics.^{Note Reference [2]}
• 89% of students who reported this issue also said these challenges caused them moderate or high levels of distress.^{Note Reference [2]}
• Even so, 78% of students surveyed in winter 2021 said they were confident they will finish their degree no matter the challenges.^{Note Reference [2]}

Isolation

As of winter 2021, 28% of students reported feeling isolated from others often.^{Note Reference [3]}

• 21% of surveyed students reported that they often feel they lack companionship.
• 23% of surveyed students reported that they often feel left out.

Harassment and Discrimination

Among students ACHA surveyed in 2022:^{Note Reference [1]}

• 3% had experienced microaggressions in the past 12 months. A more subtle form of discrimination, microaggressions can make students of color, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented students feel unsafe on campus.
• 3% had experienced discrimination.
• 3% had experienced sexual harassment.
• 2% had experienced bullying.
• 1% had experienced cyberbullying.
• 0.5% reported experiencing hazing.

Trans and gender non-conforming students reported higher rates of harassment than cis peers.

• 9% of trans and gender non-conforming students had experienced microaggressions in the last 12 months.
• 8% had experienced discrimination.
• 5% had experienced sexual harassment.

Black students face additional discrimination during college. In a 2022 Lumina-Gallup poll including over 6,000 postsecondary students, 21% of Black students said they frequently or occasionally experienced discrimination at their school.^[7]

Grief, Loss, and Other Stressors

College students have lives outside of school too. Stressors in the world or a student's personal life can impact their mental health.

• 17% of students reported having problems with their finances in the past 12 months.^{Note Reference [1]}
• 12% went through the death of a family member, friend, or someone close.^{Note Reference [1]}
• 11% had someone close to them experience health problems.^{Note Reference [1]}
• 59% of students BestColleges surveyed in 2022 said they experience grief or anxiety related to climate and other environmental threats at least occasionally. One in 10 said they worry about this a great deal.

College Mental Health Demographics

College students of all backgrounds and identities can experience mental health challenges. But some groups experience higher rates of mental health conditions and symptoms than others.

Mental Health Statistics by Gender

During the spring 2022 academic term, transgender and gender non-conforming students were much more likely than other genders to be diagnosed with or treated for anxiety, depression, eating disorders, PTSD, and stress in the last 12 months.^{Note Reference [1]}

Cisgender women were significantly more likely than cisgender men to say that in the last 12 months they were diagnosed with or treated for anxiety, depression, eating disorders, PTSD, and stress.^{Note Reference [1]}

Mental Health Statistics for LGBTQIA+ Students

In a 2022 BestColleges survey, 58% of students who identify as LGBTQIA+ reported that their mental health had worsened since they'd been in school.

• 92% of LGBTQIA+ students reported that their mental health status negatively impacted at least one aspect of their college experience.
• 49% said they were less interested in their studies or college life than were previously or wanted to be.
• 30% considered dropping out of school due to their mental health.
• 30% had thought about suicide in the last year.

LGBTQIA+ students in the survey were also significantly more likely than students who identified as straight to say they'd experienced symptoms of anxiety (66% vs. 49%), depression (53% vs. 34%), burnout (64% vs. 41%), hopelessness (46% vs. 29%), and self-doubt (64% vs. 45%) in the last 12 months.

Mental Health Statistics by Race/Ethnicity

In 2022, researchers analyzed eight years of data from the Healthy Minds Study to find race-related mental health trends. They found:^[8]

• Mental health worsened across all racial groupings from 2013-2022.
• American Indian and Alaskan Native students saw the highest increases in rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, among other mental health conditions.
• Among students who screened for at least one mental health condition — including anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, suicidal ideation, or self-injury — students of color were less likely than white students to access therapy.

The American Psychiatric Association notes that Black people experience mental health conditions at similar rates to the rest of the population, but they face greater disparities in accessing mental health care services.^[9]

Black, Indigenous, and students of color we surveyed were more likely than white students to say they take steps to immediately improve their mental health when needed (47% vs. 36%). They were also more likely than white students to say they invested in improving their mental health nearly every day (57% vs. 48%).

Mental Health and College Athletes

In the fall 2021 academic term, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) surveyed nearly 10,000 student athletes about their mental health. They found that college athletes experience heightened mental health concerns.^{Note Reference [4]}

• 94% of women's and 78% percent of men's college athletes said they felt overwhelmed by all they had to do at least once in the past month.
• Nearly half (47%) of women's athletes said they felt overwhelmed constantly or almost every day.
• 88% of women's and 71% of men's athletes said they felt mentally exhausted at least once in the past month.
• 72% of women's and 45% of men's athletes said they felt overwhelming anxiety at least once in the past month.

College athletes who were women, people of color, queer-identifying, and those reporting family financial hardship were disproportionately likely to experience negative mental health symptoms.^{Note Reference [4]}

Athletes cited academic worries, their future, and financial worries as the top factors negatively impacting their mental health.

The survey data suggests there's work to be done to destigmatize mental health concerns among student athletes.^{Note Reference [4]}

• 63% of college athletes believed their teammates take others' mental health concerns seriously.
• Roughly half (53%) said their coaches take mental health concerns seriously.
• Half (50%) believe their athletic departments prioritize mental health.

Access to Mental Healthcare in College

Our 2022 College Student Mental Health Report revealed students' perceptions of mental healthcare in college.

• 81% of students we surveyed were aware that their school provides mental health services.
• But less than half (40%) think their school is doing enough to support student mental health.
• Of the 46% of students who rated their mental health status as fair or poor, just 20% sought help at school.
• 37% of students cited cost and lack of insurance as their reason for not seeking support.
• 35% said they were uncomfortable asking for help.
• Students said that scheduled mental health days (42%), acknowledging students' mental health needs (35%), wellness activities (32%), and life skills classes (30%) would help support their mental health in college.