There’s no doubt that college years are some of the most stressful of peoples’ lives. Between getting to class, making grades, paying tuition, staying involved and maintaining a social life, many young people don’t stop to think about their mental health. According to Professor Perry Renshaw from the University of Utah, this negligence puts them at greater risk for mental illnesses and suicide.
In 2008, a survey conducted by the Associated Press and mtvU found that eight in 10 college students say they experience stress on a daily basis.
Kevin Kennedy is a senior at Utah State University studying electrical engineering and computer science.
“Yeah, I’d say I experience stress every day,” said Kennedy. “You know, I have deadlines to worry about. I constantly have to think about what to do next, just to make sure I’m not getting behind. It’s just like every hour of the day has something in it.”
Eight in 10 college students say they experience stress on a daily basis.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental problems on college campuses. Junior Ashley Waddoups said it seems one’s accomplishments mean more than the state of one’s mental health.
“There’s a lot of pressure to be so competitive in everything,” she said. "It’s a badge of honor to work yourself to death. It’s just that constant pressure to kind of be the triple threat with everything that you do.”
There are many outside pressures that create anxiety. However, Professor Renshaw, who studies neurobiology and psychiatry, has learned of some new internal factors. He found that as humans go up in altitude, two major changes in brain chemistry take place. The brain’s serotonin levels, which regulate mood and anxiety, decrease. Additionally, humans’ dopamine levels, which determine how we experience pleasure, tend to increase. This can create problems for out-of-state students as they transition to the higher elevation of Utah.
“So if you happen to come to Utah and have a family history of, or predisposition towards depression and anxiety, and your serotonin goes down, many people may have a worsening of mood, experience depression or anxiety for the first time, or have it be worse than it has in the past,” Renshaw said.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported in February of 2014 that of Utahns aged 18 or older, 22.3 percent are experiencing mental illness--the highest percentage of any state in the country. A study conducted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention found that at least 90 percent of people who died by suicide had a diagnosable disorder at the time of death. So it’s not surprising that Utah also has disproportionately high rates of suicide.
Renshaw referred particularly to college students when he said that out-of-state individuals are more mentally prepared if they acknowledge the possibility that their moods might change.
Waddoups, who suffers from General Anxiety Disorder, said she prefers to be open about it despite the stigma. She thinks everyone suffers from anxiety to some degree, and adds it can be debilitating if not put under control.
The problem is, you don't have time to not have time.
The pressures to succeed academically, be heavily involved, have an active social life (and balance it all) often take precedence over mental health issues.
“I think that the thing we hear a lot is, ‘oh, I would exercise or I would eat healthy—I just don’t have time.’ But the problem is that you don’t have time not to have time,” she said.
Whether it’s the pressure of schoolwork, altitude and serotonin levels or making life changes, small adjustments to one’s mindset can improve mental health and reduce the risk of suicide.