The Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) published its 2022 Annual Report which explores the connections between dropping out of school and seeking counseling services. According to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), there was a 4.9% increase in college student dropout rates across the U.S. Given these national rates, the report concludes that offering comprehensive mental health support services on college campuses is necessary for the success and well-being of students.

The 2022 Annual Report compiled data from the 2021–2022 academic year from 180 college and university counseling centers, describing 190,907 unique college students seeking mental health treatment; 4,688 clinicians; and more than 1.2 million appointments. The report examined five years of data related to students’ decision to voluntarily withdraw from school during counseling services.

The data sheds light on the difficulties faced by college campus mental health services. For instance, close to 80% of counseling centers indicated that they don’t offer regular extended hours. Additionally, more than 40% of counseling centers reported not being able to retain the majority of students who seek their services. The CCMH report also notes current trends in mental illness among college and university counseling centers:

• Anxiety, stress, and depression remain the most common issues reported by therapists but showed a slight decrease in 2021–22. Conversely, trauma assessed by clinicians noticeably increased.
• Students are increasingly reporting social anxiety symptoms of over-generalized anxiety, with the largest increase being the concern of “others not liking me.” Although academic distress has slightly declined, it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. The largest increase in academic distress was in problems staying motivated in class.
• The lifetime history of trauma has risen over the past 10 years, with childhood emotional abuse and sexual violence being the leading contributors to this increase.
• Despite a declining trend over the past 10 years, “lifetime history of causing serious injury to another person” marginally increased from 5.3% in 2020–21 to 5.7% in 2021–22.

The report highlights the ongoing challenges faced by college students with regard to mental health and the importance of addressing these issues through comprehensive support services. Clearly, an efficient solution that caters to the needs of students without putting undue strain on campus resources is required.

The continued adoption and evolution of telehealth

COVID-19 highlighted the changing nature of healthcare delivery and the crucial role that technology plays. One reason for the growing adoption and evolution of technology in healthcare is the shortage of mental health professionals across the U.S. The federal government designated that almost 40% of people live in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals, with more than 60% of counties without a single psychiatrist.

Recently, at Becker’s Hospital Review’s 12th Annual Meeting, experts on virtual and hybrid care discussed how innovations in digital health platforms are revolutionizing access to healthcare for those who cannot physically attend appointments. They highlighted how automated communication between patients and care teams are helping healthcare professionals monitor changes in a patient’s health and respond promptly.

In a separate American Medical Association (AMA) Immersion Program webinar, experts discussed the future of telehealth, emphasizing the potential for “eyebrow-raising” joint ventures between technology and healthcare professionals to create innovative telehealth solutions that will aggregate technologies to make virtual care easier to use. They predict that there will be greater efforts and investments to improve the usability of telehealth and to expand the number of people who can benefit from this technology.

Both the experts at Becker’s Hospital and AMA agree that telehealth will continue to evolve into a more user-friendly and comprehensive solution that benefits patients, reduces workloads, and lowers costs.

Opportunities to optimize campus health resources

The CCMH report along with the Becker’s Hospital Review and the AMA webinar shed light on the areas where telehealth—and its predicted advances—can address the gaps in campus health resources, making sure that students have round-the-clock and equitable access to care. The report highlights several key statistics for counseling centers that have implications for engagement and retention of higher education students:

• 79.7% don’t have regular extended hours, leaving a majority of students without easy access to dedicated 24/7 mental health resources.
• 40.4% don’t retain almost all students who seek services, routinely referring them to external services, meaning that many colleges don’t provide adequate support for students.
• 70.8% reported that after-hours crisis services are not primarily handled by counseling center staff. The result is that a majority of college students don’t have access to dedicated 24/7 crisis support aligned with the school’s care protocols.
• 42.4% reported that clinicians regularly engage in remote work, suggesting that students are likely becoming familiar with receiving mental health care in a virtual setting.