Survey: Anxiety, depression and burnout on the rise in college students preparing return to campus

Narrator: As Mary Trabue juggled a demanding engineering course load virtually, her stress and anxiety built to levels that affected every part of her life.

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Mary Trabue
Ohio State senior]

Mary Trabue: I didn't know what was wrong, but I just felt tired all the time because I wasn't sleeping. And I knew that I couldn't continue down that path.

Narrator: And while students are collectively ready to get back onto college campuses this fall, it won't erase the trauma of the last school year.

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN
Ohio State chief wellness officer]

Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN: We must be proactive. We must anticipate what is coming.

Narrator: A new survey conducted by Ohio State's Office of the Chief Wellness Officer found that depression, anxiety, and burnout among students are all on the rise.

Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN: In August, the first time we did the survey, students who were burning out or burnt out was 40%. In April, it was 71%.

Narrator: The survey found that those with mental health concerns were also more likely to cope in unhealthy ways with things like vaping, drinking and eating unhealthy foods. It's data that's consistent among college students across the country. So to help students cope as campuses welcome them back, Melnyk and colleagues at Ohio State and the Wexner Medical Center developed the Five to Thrive Checklist. 

[Text on screen: Five to Thrive
- Establish healthy habits
- Build resilience and coping skills
- Find mental health support
- Grow and maintain support systems
- Don't wait to get help]

Narrator: It includes establishing healthy habits, building resilience and coping skills, finding mental health support, growing your support systems, and perhaps most importantly, not waiting to get help.

Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN: It's actually a strength to recognize when you need mental health help. It's not a weakness.

Narrator:  The latest survey also found just 5% of students engage with Ohio State's mental health programs. So experts are working to expand these resources and integrate them into curriculums and campus life. The hope is that it will help more students like Mary, who now sees a counselor and uses powerlifting as a healthy way to cope.

Mary Trabue: I just noticed how much anxiety and stress was also relieved after my lifts and how it just cleared my mind for my schoolwork.

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center]