The Other McCain

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Who’s Crazy on Campus?

Posted on | September 9, 2018 | Comments Off on Who’s Crazy on Campus?

A new study finds that 1-in-4 college students is mentally ill:

The newly-published report out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital shows that a quarter of college students received were diagnosed with a mental health condition in the past year, and a fifth have had suicidal thoughts. . . .
The results showed alarming rates of mental health issues and a significant risk for suicidal thoughts among all students, though minorities, whether racial, sexual, or gender, were especially prone. . . .
In fact, one in four students was diagnosed with a condition, while one in five considered taking his or her own life. Nearly 10 percent admitted to attempting suicide, and nearly 20 percent had committed self-harm of some form. . . .
While sexual minorities were found to have high rates of mental health diagnoses along with reports of self-harm and suicidal thoughts or actions, transgender participants showed high rates over all outcomes. Two-thirds of transgender students admitted to self-harm, while more than a third having attempted suicide. Similarly, more than half of bisexual students admitted to self-harm or suicidal behavior, while more than a quarter attempted suicide.
Asian students showed a greater risk of suicidal behavior, yet lower rates of mental health diagnoses compared to white students. Black students reported lower rates across all outcomes versus white students.

From the summary of the researchers’ findings:

Bisexual students were more likely to report MH [mental health] diagnoses and suicidality, compared to heterosexual and gay/lesbian students . . . Transgender students reported a higher rate of MH diagnoses and suicidality relative to females.

It is interesting that it is not gay men or lesbians who show the higher risk, but rather bisexual and transgender students, and that Asians are more at risk of suicide than whites, while blacks are generally less likely to report any mental health problems.

 

Category: Education

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