Oregon College Freshman Seeking More Mental Health Support

By Claire Isobel, Public News Service

More incoming college freshmen have received mental health support in the past and are planning to use campus resources to meet the need, according to new research.

A poll by TimelyCare found 65 percent of students have been to therapy before starting college, and 83% expect campus mental health support.

Kari Hays, assistant director of well-being at Central Oregon Community College, said the numbers are not a surprise.

“The 18-year-old, 19-year-old cohort that’s coming in, they are able to discuss mental health among their peers and with adults in their lives in a more open manner than we have generally seen before,” Hays observed.

She pointed out Central Oregon Community College is meeting the rising demand by partnering with a mental health agency to provide near-constant access to services, both in-person and virtually.

There has been an uptick in the number of young people interested in therapy since 2020, Hays noted. Information related to mental health is also more accessible now than in any previous generation, she added, which has helped ease some of the stigma.

“They also have, as we know, much greater access to mental health providers, via telehealth than we have seen before, especially in these rural areas,” Hays emphasized.

The most common mental health struggles students are facing, Hays underscored, are anxiety and depression, as well as the stress of transitioning from high school to college.