Anxiety, Depression, and Stress:

How College Students Manage

Mental Health

While one’s college years are often thought of as fun and carefree, they’re sometimes far from
it. Many of today’s college students feel immense pressure from multiple areas of their lives,
including academic, financial, social, and family. This pressure can lead to a range of mental
health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and stress, and can seriously impact a student’s
life. According to Active Minds, a non-profit organization out to change the conversation about
mental health, the pressures that students face come with huge consequences. About one-third
of college students External link report being so depressed that it’s impacting their social and
academic functioning, leading to lower GPAs and a higher probability of dropping out.

This same research shows

over 80 percent of college students have felt overwhelmed within the last year and 45
percent reported feeling hopeless. These numbers are no surprise to those working as
mental health counselors in colleges. According to the Center for Collegiate Mental
Health (CCMH) at Pennsylvania State University, there has been a 50 percent increase
in college students External link who sought out mental health counseling between
2015 and 2016. Of their chief concerns, anxiety and depression topped the list, followed
by academic stress, issues with eating disorders, alcohol abuse, sexual assault,
relationship issues, and family distress.

Mental Health Concerns and the Impact of

Lifestyle Habits
Throughout the college years, students may develop maladaptive lifestyle habits. From
adjusting to their new found freedom of being away from parents, excitement of dorm
life, having roommates, late night studying, frat parties, and alcohol and drug
experimentation, college students engage in various activities that could negatively
influence their mental health.

Perhaps one of the most common is sleep deprivation. The sleep deprivation cycle,
which can be caused by stress and also elevate a student’s stress level, has a huge
impact on the student’s life and academic pursuits. According to Cengage Brain,
poor sleep patterns often develop in college External link and lead to a variety of issues
including missing classes, weight gain, hallucinations, and mental health concerns.
Mental health counselors could discuss positive sleep habits with college students,
encouraging those with anxiety, depression, or high stress to get at least eight hours of
sleep a night.

Students Are Seeking Help

Even with such a prevalence of anxiety and depression among college students, many
are seeking help and universities are seeing an increase in appointments with school
offered mental health counselors. Although there are a variety of reasons for this, the
increase can be influenced by the following:

 College campuses are seeing an increase in mental health awareness efforts

 More mental health resources are available both on and off campuses
 College campuses offer lower income students accessibility to mental health
counseling they previously didn’t have access to

With the steady increase in college students seeking services, many college and
university mental health counseling centers can’t keep up. In a Huffington Post article,
some students reported having to wait three to four weeks External link for an
appointment to see a mental health counselor.

This is especially concerning when it comes to crisis situations. Reports of self-harm are
on the rise for college students and according to Psychology Today, suicide is
the second leading cause of death External link among this demographic. This
generation of college students is experiencing stress and psychopathy External link at
an alarming rate.

Colleges on Student Mental Health

Colleges are aware of the rise in student mental health concerns and are making strides
to address the influx. According to a report by the Association for University and College
Counseling Center Directors (AUCCD), 73.1 percent of directors External link saw an
increase in the severity of mental health reports and incidences on their campuses.
Even though there has been an increase in college students seeking mental health
services, it doesn’t mean that all students who need mental health treatment are being
served appropriately.

Without proper interventions, many college students with mental health issues are
forced to drop out of school. Yet when students have access to proper
accommodations, things like tutoring, books on tape, and help facilitating
communication with professors, there is a greater chance students will succeed.
Colleges and universities can implement changes in other areas to improve the success
of these students, such as making it easier to access mental health service, hosting
peer-run mental health groups, and providing assistance with both transportation and
medical bills.

It’s also important for colleges and universities to have faculty and staff trained in mental
health awareness and to be able to recognize the warning signs External link of a
mental health emergency. This helps identify students who may be struggling and
create a caring and safe campus culture. According to the National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI), up to 45 percent of college students External link who dropped out of
school because of mental health related reasons did not receive accommodations and
50 percent did not utilize any mental health services or supports.

The fact is one in five Americans External link over the age of 18 are affected by mental
illness and college students are not exempt. From collegiate stressors such as
timelines, acclimation rates, family pressure and relationship concerns to the whole of
college life, mental health issues on college campuses are on the rise. And while many
students are seeking out mental health counseling through their college counseling
center, too many are not either because of stigma or being unaware of the availability of
mental health services. Educational institutions could grow in their support and
awareness of mental health issues to support their students who are faced with life
challenges.

A recent survey has determined that anxiety is the most common mental health problem in
college students. Depression and stress rank second and third. Anxiety and depression are
really just different sides of the same coin. They are both the result of chronic stress that
overwhelms your capacity to cope with them. Both can affect your functioning, especially
your studies and your relationships.
Some blame “helicopter parents” for college students’ mental health problems. These
parents hovered over their children, not allowing them to feel their emotions and not
allowing them to solve their own problems. These parents handled their children’s problems
for them. But the children did not learn emotional regulation and coping skills. When they go
off to college, they are emotional novices. They are unable to deal with the stress of
independent living and studying for their chosen careers.

But blaming helicopter parents is unfair. College students make their own choices. They are
responsible for their own mental health. The main problem is that they don’t have the coping
skills to effectively deal with the stress of independent adult living. Rather than succumbing
to being stressed out, one can choose to be resilient in the face of the difficulties of life.
Preventing and treating anxiety and depression involves learning how to effectively handle
stress as it arises. Dealing with stress in nonreactive ways is the way to good mental health.
Thinking about and appraising stress determines if it goes any further.

When you anticipate failure or believe something bad will happen, it sets off anxiety. You
fear that you will not act effectively, so you avoid the feared stimulus. The avoidance then
maintains the negative cycle of anxiety.

On the other hand, when you think all is hopeless and that you are useless, this sets off
depression. You believe your actions are ineffective, and you are resigned and become
passive and withdrawn. The withdrawal then maintains the negative cycle of depression.

Test-taking is a common college student stressor. This is no longer high school, where you
can study the night before and still do well on your test. This is college, and the content is
much more difficult, requiring much more study and preparation to do well. But let’s say you
develop anxiety symptoms around taking tests, to the point where you have a panic attack
during the test and just freeze. You are paralyzed and can’t continue.
It is not the test itself that causes the anxiety but your thoughts about the test. For instance,
you are taking a test, and this triggers thoughts such as “I did not study enough and will
fail;” or “I will embarrass myself;” or “I will not be able to cope.” These thoughts make you
anxious. You may even have a panic attack, where you have heart palpitations, shortness
of breath, sweaty palms, poor concentration, and headache

These anxiety symptoms are so distressing that you want to leave, so you may just walk out
of the exam room, failing your test. And then you try to avoid future tests, as doing so risks
another panic attack. But the problem with avoiding future tests is that it maintains your
beliefs (thoughts) that you are not prepared and will not be able to cope.

On the other hand, if you have an upcoming test and you think “all is hopeless” or “I’m
useless,” this makes you depressed. The depressed mood then leads to isolation and
withdrawal. But when you withdraw, you don’t study. This translates into performing poorly
on the actual test. This withdrawal then maintains your belief that all is hopeless, and that
you are useless, as it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The problem is with the way you think about the stressor and the way you behave. Handling
stressors adequately requires thinking differently about stress and about not avoiding or
withdrawing. Thinking more positive thoughts and facing your stressors is the way to
prevent or eradicate anxiety and depression.
 Social Media And Mobile: The Perfect Addiction
Jeff Bullas

People have been heard to exclaim

“I love my iPhone” !
It is normally spontaneous and can happen in public and in strange and exotic locations!

People’s obsession with technology, iPhones and social media is making laptops our sleeping
partners and smart phones our alarms. Technology and the web is invading and permeating
every corner of our lives ..and bedrooms! Facebook apps sits on your phone’s menu beckoning
you and even daring you to caress its button and see if anyone has left a message or wanted to
friend you.

The Twitter app almost winks at you enticing you to check your latest tweets.

If there is one trend that as a marketer you should not ignore it is the internet connected
mobile that is increasingly embedded in our daily life.

How Embedded Is Mobile In Our Daily Lives?

The mobile is now embedded in our daily work and play in multiple ways.

1. Send a text message

2. Take photos
3. Access the news
4. Mobile wake us up with the built in alarm
5. Search on Google
6. Access a website
7. Use email
8. Phone a friend
9. Check the weather
10. Access a social media site (very likely Facebook!)
11. Use a software application from work
12. Look up maps to find the directions to an appointment
What Are The 3 Key “Mobile Market Enablers” Driving This Perfect Storm.
1. The growth in smartphone adoption (up from 17% to 27% in just 12 months in the U.S.A.)
2. 3G/4G phone ownership reached 50% threshold in November 2010
3. Availability of unlimited data plans (nearly 30%)

Along with these mobile adoption drivers is the rise of social media in the last few years which
is peaking at the same time and is creating an environment and synergy that is an ocean of
opportunity for marketers but also a sea of confusion in how to approach these trends to
communicate brand messages and spread content and ideas.

Social media usage on mobile is up over 56% in the last 12 months (that equates to almost 60
million users in the USA alone) according to comScore’s “2010 Mobile Year in Review” that has
just been released.
In the UK, Facebook is the top accessed site by time spent leading Google by almost 400% with
7.5 million unique mobile visitors spending a total of 2.5 billion minutes on Facebook.com
averaging 5.6 hours per visitor during the the month of December 2010.

Digital marketers know that the two obsessions of “mobile” and “social media” is creating a
perfect marketing storm.

How do we tap into that?

What I do know is… don’t get in between a lady and her mobile phone especially if it has a
Facebook app!

Image by sparktography
The use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
Tinder has become the cornerstone of modern communication and connection
as it allows users to create a sense of belonging and redefine their way of
being. Despite the many positive benefits and impacts of these sites, the
recent Cambridge Analytica scandal has reignited discussions about the place
of social media and social networking sites in our lives.

From a mental health perspective, concerns have been raised about the
negative impact of excessive use of social networking sites on the health and
wellbeing of users, especially that of young people, who are enthusiastic
users of this technology. Back in 2011, Dr. Daria Kuss and I were the first
academics to systematically review the scientific literature on excessive social
media use. Although there were few studies at the time, we did find that for a
small minority of individuals there was a significant detrimental effect on many
aspects of their life, including their real life relationships and academic
achievement among those still in education. We argued that such signs are
indicative of addiction.

Over the past five years there has been a proliferation of studies assessing
how excessive social media use can impact negatively on health. In a recent
paper Dr. Kuss and I again reviewed the latest research on the topic and
showed that social media use for a minority of individuals is associated with a
number of psychological problems,
including anxiety, depression, loneliness, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, and addiction. Because social media is most frequently accessed
via smartphones, their usage is intimately intertwined and their mobile nature
contributes to excessive checking habits, which often derives from what is
commonly labelled as the ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO).

The good news is that very few people are genuinely addicted to social media.
However, many people’s social media use is habitual and it can start to spill
over into other areas of their lives and be problematic and dangerous, such as
checking social media while driving. Other behaviors may be annoying rather
than dangerous, but may be indicative of problematic social media use, such
as checking social media while eating out with friends or constantly checking
your smartphone while watching a movie at the cinema. Others may snub
social contact with their loved ones or friends and prefer to check out social
media on their smartphone instead (so-called ‘phubbing’).
If you want to check whether you may be at risk of developing an addiction to
social media, ask yourselves these six simple questions:

Do you spend a lot of time thinking about social media or planning to use
social media?
Do you feel urges to use social media more and more?
Do you use social media to forget about personal problems?
Do you often try to reduce your use of social media without success?
Do you become restless or troubled if you are unable to use social media?
Do you use social media so much that it has had a negative impact on your
job or studies?

If the answer to all six of these questions is “yes,” then you may have or be
developing an addiction to using social media. We say “may” because the
only way this can be confirmed is through a diagnosis from a clinical
psychologist or a psychiatrist.

If you answered “yes” to a few of these questions, it is more likely that you are
a habitual social media user and that what you should do is engage in ‘digital
detox’ strategies that simply allow you to reduce the amount of time spent on
social media. This can include simple steps, such as turning off sound
notifications and only allowing yourself to check your smartphone every 30
minutes or once an hour. Other simple steps include having periods in the day
where there is self-imposed non-screen time (such as during meal times) and
leaving your smartphone in a separate room from where you sleep (just so you
don’t get the urge to check social media before bedtime, during the night, and
when you wake up).

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

At a societal level, steps need to be taken by governments or organizations to
help minimize and (in some cases) prohibit the use of mobile devices. Some
such steps are in place in many countries, such as the banning of smartphone
use while driving. Given the loss of productivity in both the workplace and
educational settings, employers, schools, and colleges need policies in place
to ensure that individuals are focused on what they should be doing. Many
schools ban the use of smartphones in the classroom. Prohibition in other
contexts such as workplace settings may also be justified if it is practical to do
so. Some restaurants are now providing discounts on food bills if
customers refrain from using their smartphones during their meal. These
positive reinforcement strategies may well be the way forward in trying to
decrease time spent on smartphones checking social media.
Digital literacy and awareness of the effects of excessive social media use
need to be embedded with work and educational settings. More
controversially, social media operators (such as Facebook) could start using
their behavioral data to identify excessive users and provide strategies to limit
time spent on their products. This is already being used in the online gambling
industry and could easily be applied by social networking sites.

For the small number of individuals that are genuinely addicted to social
media use, treatment is warranted. However, the goal of treatment for this
type of addiction (unlike many other addictions) should be controlled use
rather than total abstinence, as it is not feasible to stop someone from using
devices that have Internet access (i.e., their smartphone). The most
successful type of treatment for online addictions appears to be cognitive
behavioral therapy (which is a talk therapy designed to help people change
the way they think and behave), although there are relatively few published
studies examining its efficacy in relation to internet addictions. Other more
specific ways of how to treat individuals with excessive and addictive Internet
use, including social media use, have also been outlined elsewhere.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

When it comes to solving the problem of reducing individuals’ use of social
media there is no magic bullet. While individuals are ultimately responsible for
their own social media use, policymakers, social media operators, employers,
and educational establishments all need to play their part in reducing
excessive social media use.

(Please note, this article was written with Dr. Daria Kuss and was the original
extended version of an article that was subsequently published in The
Washington Post)

References and further reading

Andreassen, C.S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M.D., Kuss, D.J., Demetrovics, Z.,
Mazzoni, E. & Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of
social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A
large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30, 252-
262.
Andreassen, C.S., Pallesen, S., Griffiths, M.D. (2017). The relationship
between excessive online social networking, narcissism, and self-esteem:
Findings from a large national survey. Addictive Behaviors, 64, 287-293.

Chotpitayasunondh, V., & Douglas, K. M. (2016). How “phubbing” becomes

the norm: The antecedents and consequences of snubbing via
smartphone. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 9-18.

Griffiths, M.D., Kuss, D.J. & Demetrovics, Z. (2014). Social networking

addiction: An overview of preliminary findings. In K. Rosenberg & L. Feder
(Eds.), Behavioral Addictions: Criteria, Evidence and Treatment (pp.119-141).
New York: Elsevier.

The Reality of Internet and

Social Media Addiction
by Williamsville Wellness | Jun 27, 2018 | Social Media Addiction |
Written by: Gregory Knell
The world is different than it used to be. The way we communicate with each
other hasn’t just evolved in recent years, it’s completely transformed. Harken
back only 15 years ago when Facebook, Tinder, Instagram, and Twitter didn’t
exist and the word “selfie” hadn’t made it into the dictionary yet.
Email was nowhere near as ubiquitous as it is today and the concept of
texting was still a fledgling method of sending messages. Would it have ever
occurred to the 15-years-ago you that hundreds of millions of people around
the world would soon be communicating with each other almost solely through
digital means? Their faces perpetually glowing brightly from the illumination of
small, handheld, electronic devices, and living under the strange assumption
that every person they’ve ever met cares about seeing a photo of what they
ate for dinner that night?
Even just 15 years ago, very few of us would have ever imagined the strange
world of social media as it exists today and the consuming obsession with it
that people – particularly young people – have developed. Social media has
completely redesigned and redefined the way people not only communicate
but the way people find meaning and self-worth on a day-to-day basis, letting
“likes” and “followers” largely determine the level of self-confidence they have
for themselves.
Perhaps there isn’t anything inherently destructive or harmful about social
media as there certainly are valuable and useful tasks that can be completed
with its help. Like allowing us to stay in constant contact with people that we,
pre-social media, would probably rarely (or never) see again, is one reason.
However, as is the case with the consumption of most everything, moderation
is the best policy. But when it comes to social media in our modern world,
restraint is near impossible for some. It can get to the point where it consumes
their entire lives, negatively effecting their behavior, social skills, worldview,
and more. The advent and subsequent embrace of social media technology
has quite literally changed the world forever. When something is introduced
with as much power and influence as this, we must always consider carefully
the ways in which we allow it to influence us personally.
The rising concerns of Social Media
over-usage
Sure, there are many social media advocates who deny reports of the
negative psychological and social consequences of excessive social media
use and, in all honesty, they should not be disagreed with in every respect.
Social media certainly isn’t all bad. But it most definitely can be.
Consider the many concerns that have been raised regarding excessive social
media use. It pertains to mental health concern that have been raised by
scientists and academics, particularly concerning the youth as they are, by far,
the largest consuming demographic.
One study, for instance, that was done in 2011 at Nottingham Trent University
in the U.K. and is considered an “early” study on the topic of social media
(which shows how fast technology is moving) involved psychologists Dr. Daria
Kuss and Dr. Mark Griffiths. They dived into the social and cognitive effects
found in excessive social media users. Their findings were quite clear.
Many of the subjects participating in the study showed severe destructive
effects, mostly pertaining to academic achievement and general relationships
in the real world. Psychologists and sociologists will recognize immediately
that these are signs that coincide with virtually every form of addiction, and in
this case, social media addiction.
Is it a mental health concern?
Since 2011, universities and other interested organizations have conducted
countless studies on the topic of social media addiction in an effort to define it,
understand it, and know how to treat it. Even the psychologists mentioned
above have since engaged in additional studies of their own, that have shown
deeper and more troubling results. Social media addiction is now being
associated with various psychological problems. It has been identified as the
cause and/or the result of conditions such as ADHD (attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder), loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
In fact, a new (yet unofficial) label has been given to an emerging
psychological disorder that has come about almost directly as a result of
social media addiction: FOMO, which stands for ‘fear of missing out’. FOMO is
linked to the reality that almost everyone who uses social media, does so
primarily from their mobile device. And they are in the habit of prioritizing the
notifications above almost anything else.
Who should we be concerned
for?
Now, when we say that many people show these signs, fortunately we don’t
mean majority. In reality, it’s actually a minority of users that are stricken with
what would professionally be diagnosed as Social Media Addiction. But just
because someone isn’t clinically addicted does not mean that their usage is
not problematic.
When something becomes habitual, something else in that person’s life that
they normally spend a particular amount of time on, becomes diminished to
some degree. Someone who regularly checks Facebook while driving, for
example, may not mean that they’re full- blown addicted but it certainly is
problematic. An inability to give someone full attention during a conversation,
because they can’t put their phone down, is also obviously problematic.
So how do you diagnose potential social media addiction in yourself and
others? A good place to start and really get serious about it is to ask the
following questions: Does your social media use…
-impact negatively your ability to perform workplace responsibilities?
-make you irritated and restless when you can’t check it?
-result in many tried and failed attempts to pull back your frequency of use?
-represent a constant escape from personal responsibility and problems?
-come about through uncontrollable urges to check?
-dominate your thoughts during the day, even when you’re not looking at it?
-happen the moment you wake up?
-keep you up at night from mindless scrolling and clicking?
If you answered yes to most or all of these questions, it is recommended that
you recognize you are on your way to or may already be afflicted with social
media addiction. Social media addiction is now an official, diagnosable
medical disorder. It can’t be said with surety that a person is an addict without
consulting a professional psychiatrist or psychologist. But the signs and
symptoms are most definitely clear.
How can we help lessen the Social
Media Addiction?
Anyone showing signs of social media addiction should initiate strategies that
are sometimes referred to as digital detoxing. As you can assume, these
strategies help curb your habit by lessening the amount of time you spend
with your eyes fixed to a screen. Here are some behavioral changes and
implementations that can help someone digitally detox:
-silence incoming notifications on your cell phone so you aren’t triggered to
check every moment you receive one.
-schedule screenless periods of time. Some suggestions are dinnertime and
from 7 pm to the next morning.
-Delete apps from your phone that also have desktop or laptop computer
access. You don’t carry your laptop with you in your pocket so checking your
notifications won’t happen as frequently.
-Don’t keep electronic devices in your bedroom. Many who suffer from
symptoms of social media addiction sit in bed and procrastinate sleep for
hours, as they scroll endlessly through social media accounts. De-associating
bedtime with social media time is a huge step for many people.
-Download apps like Freedom that block chosen apps for customizable
periods of time.
The truth is that the change in behavior is up to the individual. Even though
many governments throughout the world have enacted laws prohibiting
behavior such as texting while driving, those who have social
media addiction don’t give them a second thought when triggered. A trigger
can be something as simple as the “ding” that indicates a new notification.
Policies in educational institutions and the workplace certainly help raise
awareness of the dangers of social media addiction, and definitely help to
curb a percentage of destructive behavior. The overall productivity of a
significant percentage of students and employees are experiencing a severe
decline in productivity, due directly to social media addiction. Though anything
can be a distraction, social media (along with mobile devices in general) are
arguably and particularly concerning because of how they’ve woven
themselves into the every day fabric of our lives.
We simply have to learn to live with
technology
Internet has become essential to the functionality of the modern world. It is
perhaps unrealistic to expect permanent and longterm abstinence from all
computers and phones. Technology is here to stay. There we need to learn
how to properly interact with it, particularly social media, considering the
detrimental effects that uncontrolled use can yield.
Parents are encouraged to to educate themselves on their children’s social
media use and to regulate it as they see fit. When signs and symptoms of
social media addiction begin to surface, know how to recognize them for what
they are. Even better, take steps to prevent them from occurring in the first
place through appropriate methods that you feel will work for you and your
family.
Social media certainly has utility and provides enjoyment, but know that social
media addiction is an addiction just like any other unbridled habit. Consider
seeking out and consulting a professional if you or anyone that you know
suffers from or is showing signs of social media addiction.