Wow

College mental-health centers are in the midst of a crisis, according to a recent report in The New York Times. Once known as places where college kids sought guidance on love and coming-of-age issues, the centers now find that almost half of those coming in "are coping with serious mental illness, more than double the rate a decade ago." They are under big pressure. What they are worrying is not onlyRS gold , but their future and life. Students are dealing with everything from depression to suicidal thoughts, alcohol abuse, and eating disorders.

Prescription drugs could be a big factor, according to the Times article: "Experts say the trend is partly linked to effective psychotropic drugs that have allowed students to attend college who otherwise might not have functioned in a campus setting.” Until recently, many psychological afflictions now considered common — and serious — would have been brushed aside, says the Times. In 2010, there is "greater awareness of traumas scarcely recognized a generation ago and a willingness to seek help for those problems, including bulimia, self-cutting, and childhood sexual abuse." Until recently, many psychological afflictions now considered common — and serious — would have been brushed aside, says the Times. In 2010, there is "greater awareness of traumas scarcely recognized a generation ago and a willingness to seek help for those problems, including bulimia, self-cutting, and childhood sexual abuse."

Newcomers to college often feel overwhelmed, says Steven Carter in Examiner.com, and develop "poor eating and sleeping habits," which can be contributing factors to mental-health problems. That's not a recent phenomenon, but the "new economic pressures" created by the recession may have a "snowball effect" that creates more stress and makes students more likely to "overload themselves."