Mental Health Declines as COVID Cases Increase

Student mental health has taken a steep decline at Green River College and all over the country due to the stay-at-home orders put in place as a response to COVID-19.

The vast majority of the student population is struggling mentally in some way because of the pandemic. According to the Jed Foundation, 3 out of 5 students say that their mental health is worse than it was pre-pandemic.

“I have only had one student tell me that a dimension of their life actually improved because of the pandemic,” said Liz McKinney, a Green River College counselor who has worked in university counseling centers for over 5 years.

Since school is now online, students do all their classes remotely at home. This has caused many to feel isolated and anxious, which has affected their performance in class.

McKinney said that one of the reasons for increased student stress is having to adjust to online learning. Some students lack the means to fully engage in online classes, which makes classes hard and puts extra pressure on them. 

“Some don’t have devices, equipment, internet access, and adequate spaces for studying,” she said.

The Jed foundation said that 4 out of 5 students are experiencing anxiety during the pandemic, and over half of them struggle with coping in a healthy way. Another reason students may experience increased stress is the isolation of being stuck at home.

“…at the same time as there was a growing sense of isolation, there’s also the new reality that you’re stuck at home, spending way more time with family members” said McKinney.

The separation between school and home was an important balance for a lot of students. Now they have to deal with the growing social stress of constantly being in close parameters with the people they live with. Some students who do not get to see their family very much or at all feel even more isolated.

“Not being able to see friends and staying inside mixed with my parents never being home left me to be lonely with a less productive day,” said Paris Massey, a 16 year old  Running Start student from Auburn. “I now have noticeably higher anxiety and I find myself spiraling at times.”

Along with stress, the isolation of the stay-at-home orders has caused a lot of students to feel depressed and unmotivated. According to a cross sectional survey study done during the pandemic by Texas A&M university, out of 2,031 participants, nearly half showed a moderate-to-severe level of depression, and nearly one in five had suicidal thoughts.

Students suffering from depression tend to get behind in class, which leads to their grades diminishing. This, in turn, causes them to feel worse and creates a continuous cycle. Even though so many students are afflicted with mental health issues because of COVID-19, McKinney said there has actually been a drop in students seeking services due to the lack of face-to-face resources.

“Before March, a student could simply drop by our offices and access our services. Now, there is no physical space to go to” she said.

This, on top of the pre-existing stigma surrounding mental health treatment, has caused less students to go after the help they need. Even with this transition Green River College still offers some resources for students, including free short-term video counseling. 

All the information for seeking help from Green River College’s Counseling services can be found at https://www.greenriver.edu/campus/campus-resources/counseling-services/ .

Sources:

Wang X, Hegde S, Son C, Keller B, Smith A, Sasangohar F

Investigating Mental Health of US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

The Jed Foundation. “Survey of College Student Mental Health in 2020.” The Jed Foundation (JED), The Jed Foundation, 23 Oct. 2020, www.jedfoundation.org/survey-of-college-student-mental-health-in-2020/.