During college, students across America face a variety of mental-health challenges such as chronic stress and anxiety, depression, and addiction.

Research conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness states one-quarter of college students have a diagnosable illness, and 40 percent do not take advantage of the resources available to them

Chronic stress

At Drury University, Ed Derr, director of counseling, disability, services and testing, has spent the past 14 years working with college students.

He explains the most prevalent mental-health challenges that students at Drury face are not unusual.

“I don’t think it’s just Drury,” he says. “I think it’s just all over the planet. … College students are wrestling with stress — that’s the big one. Now, you know, a lot of things cause stress. Everyone is very unique in what their triggers or their stressors are. But that unresolved stress can pose problems with depression, anxiety, substance use, even triggering their past trauma, if there is any.”

Anxiety, depression and substance abuse

According to Derr, Drury students are coming to college with anxiety already diagnosed; in fact, anxiety now surpasses depression as the No. 1 challenge students face. Many deal with both anxiety and depression, each of which presents its own obstacles.

Furthermore, Derr explains while both are medical conditions that prevent an individual from enjoying life, anxiety primarily focuses on worry and fear about the future. Depression, however, has a lot to do with an individual’s past.

As previously identified, substance abuse and self-medication are emerging on campuses all across the country. In regards to depression and anxiety, many students are coming to college with prescriptions already.

Says Derr: “I am not a big medicine guy, but there is a role for medicine, and I think for some students that’s absolutely what they should be doing. The other side of that coin is students maybe don’t like their medicine, but they will drink, or they’ll smoke weed, or they’ll do other kinds of drugs as a way of self-medicating … which may not always be a good thing.”

Seeking help

When providing recommendations for students who may be suffering with anxiety or depression, Derr refers directly to the National Suicide Hotline as well as other on-campus resources.

“If a person is wrestling with suicide, they can call the National Suicide Hotline,” he says. “There’s even a suicide text-line. … You can text that, and you’re gonna get received by somebody who’s trained to address some of your suicide concerns.

“The other thing too, is that they can call me at night…,” adds Derr, whose office number is (417) 873-7457. “People can contact Campus Security, and Campus Security can connect me with the student if they’re in a bad way… We may no be able to get everything addressed at 2 o’clock in the morning, but we can meet at 8 or 9 the next morning.”