College students are reporting fewer mental health challenges than they were two years ago,
but rates of serious mental health conditions “remain stagnant,” according to a report from UnitedHealthcare.
The company published its third annual College Student and Graduate Behavioral Health Report in May. The report surveys college students, recent graduates and their parents.
Parents are gaining a better understanding of their children’s mental health needs, according to
the report, but peers are still the No. 1 reason college students and graduates seek mental healthcare, Nicole Brady, MD, chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare Student Resources told Becker’s.
Dr. Brady explained the top trends when it comes to mental health on campus and how UnitedHealthcare is responding.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What are the main trends you’re watching when it comes to students and mental health?
Dr. Nicole Brady: What I found most interesting is, this year, there has been a decrease in self-reported experience of mental and behavioral health concerns. This year, 64% of college students reported that they are suffering from mental and behavioral health conditions. In 2022, that was 69%, in 2023, that was 70%. I think we can’t take our eye off the ball though, because college students are continuing to report serious mental illness, like eating disorders, suicidal intent, suicidal ideation and substance abuse disorder. Though we see the incidence going down, there’s still recognition that we have work to do. We need to really focus on what we can do to support these young adults.
Q: This report shows the gap is closing between how college students and their parents perceive mental health. Why was it important to study these relationships?
NB: I think it’s really important to help educate parents. It makes sense when you think about it that parents are going to be less insightful as to how our kids are doing from a mental or behavioral health standpoint when they’re no longer living with us. At the same time, parents who have more conversations with their kids about their mental or behavioral health, those kids are going to be more comfortable and confident coming to their parents when they have questions or concerns. It’s really important to keep those communication pathways open and to talk to your kids about behavioral health, even if they’re not approaching you about those concerns.
Q: This report found college graduates were more likely to seek out mental healthcare than college students? What are the barriers to accessing this care for students?
NB: It’s really multifactorial. I think it’s a lack of understanding. This is the first time students have been on their own, navigating their own healthcare without mom and dad directly involved, which certainly leads to some cost concerns. I think, unfortunately, in the U.S., access is always an issue. One of the things I found most interesting in the study is the fact that kids differ in whether they want or are comfortable with virtual care. Some young adults really embrace virtual care. They like the convenience and the privacy that some people perceive with that form of care. Others really do value face-to-face. There’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all. We have to make sure we have different types of care available to our young adults.
Q: Access to behavioral health providers is a big challenge. What are you seeing in terms of access for college students, and are you doing anything to expand provider availability or resources for young people?
NB: I can speak specifically to UnitedHealthcare — we’ve had growth in our behavioral network year over year since 2020. Since the pandemic came, we really saw that growth in behavioral health support and the need for that, so we’ve had growth in our own provider network. Specific to students, we work hand-in-hand with colleges to make sure we have the right providers, understanding some transportation limitations, scheduling limitations that might be unique to the student population.
