Young people worldwide are facing growing mental health challenges in the COVID-19 era. Recent research involving 80,000 youth globally found that depressive and anxiety symptoms doubled during the pandemic, with 25% of youth experiencing depressive symptoms and 20% experiencing anxiety symptoms. Students comprise a group of young people who have it especially hard, and may, to make things worse, encounter many challenges when wanting to seek help for heir mental health needs.
Student mental health By nearly every metric, student mental health is worsening. During the 2020–2021 school year, more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem, according to the Healthy Minds Study, which collects data from 373 campuses nationwide (Lipson, S. K., et al., Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 306, 2022). In another national survey, almost three quarters of students reported moderate or severe psychological distress (National College Health Assessment, American College Health Association, 2021).
Worrisome trends
Help-seeking is made up of 4 main stages. These involve:
Recognizing the need for help. The first step in the help-seeking process is recognizing that there is a problem or issue that requires outside assistance. This step can be challenging, as a person may be reluctant to admit that they need help or may not recognize the full extent of their problem. The key here is to be open-minded and brave.
Identifying potential sources of help. Once you have recognized the need for help, you must then identify potential sources of assistance. This can include individuals such as friends, family members, or professionals, as well as support groups or organizations that offer relevant services.
Evaluating the potential sources of help. After identifying potential sources of help, you have to evaluate these options in order to determine which ones are most appropriate for your situation. This may involve considering factors such as the availability and accessibility of the resources, the potential effectiveness of the services offered, and your personal preferences and values.
Self-guided digital interventions, for example, may be a great option for those who want to seek help in anonymity.
Seeking help. The final step in the help-seeking process is actually reaching out to the chosen source of assistance and requesting help.
Overall, the help-seeking process can be complex and may rely on many different factors. But, by thinking of it in terms of these 4 basic stages, you can assess where you are in the process and what you need to do next.
Barriers to help-seeking
There are many barriers to seeking help for mental health issues. It is important to be aware of the most common barriers so that you can assess whether they are impacting or might impact your help-seeking process.
Stigma. Many people are hesitant to seek help for mental health issues because of the stigma that still surrounds these conditions. They may fear being judged or labeled as “crazy” or “weak” if they try to seek help for their issues.
Lack of awareness. Some people may simply be unaware of the mental health resources and support available to them. They may not know where to go or who to talk to, or that there even is a possibility for getting help for their particular needs.
Lack of access. In some cases, people may not have access to mental health services. This can be either because they are not available in their area, because they cannot afford to pay for them, or because they are not personalized nor culturally sensitive to their specific needs, which is especially problematic for ethnic minorities and other disadvantages groups.
Personal reservations. Some people may be hesitant to seek help for mental health issues because they are unsure of what to expect from therapy or other forms of treatment. They may be afraid of being misunderstood; feel that their problems are serious enough to warrant seeking help; or even believe that mental health services cannot help their case.
The digital mental health revolution
The digital era has already revolutionized the field of mental health. A big change brought about by the digital era is the availability of online mental health resources, such as websites, forums, blogs, and social media support groups. An even bigger change is the growth of online therapy services, allowing people to receive interventions from the comfort of their own homes.
Both therapist-led and self-led digital interventions can facilitate help-seeking in several ways. They make it easier for you to access mental health support as they can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This can be particularly convenient for individuals who may have difficulty accessing in-person mental health services, such as those who live far away, have mobility challenges, or want to balance other commitments. Finally, online interventions can provide more privacy in the help-seeking process.
That said, self-led digital interventions have many advantages over therapist-led ones.
They offer more accessibility, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, which is critical to providing not just a viable alternative, but to providing a good first line of defense against mental health issues. They also offer a far greater level of anonymity, which matters if you are concerned about confidentiality or feel uncomfortable sharing information with a therapist. Finally, research has shown that self-guided internet-based psychotherapy has the same effect as face-to-face psychotherapy. Read more about it here.
