Higher Education Latest News & Updates: Why Higher Ed Is Facing A Mental Health Crisis

It is already a given fact that mental health is essential at every stage of life, whether from childhood to adolescence and through adulthood. Unfortunately, almost 10 percent of the world's population are suffering from mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

Did you know that mental health problems are costing the global economy almost $1 trillion (£651 billion) in lost productivity annually? As previously reported, a research study, which was published in Lancet Psychiatry and conducted by the World Health Organization, revealed the total cost was reportedly equivalent to 12 billion working days or 50 million years.

Higher Education Is Facing A Mental Health Crisis

Speaking of mental health issues, an alarming observation was recently reported about a mental health crisis in the education sector, particularly in higher education. According to Quartz, the supposedly happy and fun memories of university life has been tainted by debilitating stress that amplified the need for mental health services in several higher education institutions.

The said mental health crisis even incited policy vicissitudes. In California, lawmakers proposed a bill to fund the students' mental health services at various public colleges while the University of California vowed to expand its mental health budget for its students.

Mental Health Crisis In Education

College students are not only the school group that is vulnerable to mental health issues. As a matter of fact, mental health issues begins at an earlier age, where anxiety and depression often spiked up in teenagers who are in high school.

Mental health issues, however, often rise during college, where several students experience challenging times for the first time with no family and familiar environments to rely on. Due to these reasons, the patterns of loneliness increase.

Mental Health: Not A 'White Person's Disease'

Meanwhile, mental health problems in the black community is reportedly considered as a "white person's disease." It is also rarely discussed within them. However, mental illness affects everyone regardless of race, gender or sexuality.

Sadly, the stigma over mental health problems in the black community is profound, in which seeking professional health is deemed as a weakness, Huffington Post reports. Despite being a prevalent social issue, mental health is not a topic that is talked about in the community, noting the fact that some even experienced bullying and ridicule from their own family members.

Why Black People Suffer More From Mental Illness

Based on a 2012 report from Ebony, one major reason that black people suffer more mental illness was psycho-social reason. Due to their socio-economic status and poverty, not to mention the crimes in African-American communities, black people felt oppressed and discriminated hence, they developed mental illness rapidly.

Do you think having a better mental health infrastructure in colleges and universities will solve the mental health crisis in the education sector? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.