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Mental Health/Mental Illness

• More than 75% of college students reported feeling “overwhelmed” in 2001, while 22% were sometimes so depressed they couldn’t function. (ACHA, 2001)
• The number of freshman reporting “below average” emotional health has been on the rise since 1985. (UCLA, 2002)
• 10% of college students have been diagnosed with depression. (NMHA, 2001)
• 7% of college students have an anxiety disorder. (NIMH, 2000)
• Approximately 5% of college women have bulimia. (AABA, 2001)

Substance Abuse

• Drinking by college students contributes to an estimated 1,400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year. (NIAAA, 2002)
• More than one-fourth of college students have driven in the past year while under the influence of alcohol. (NIAAA, 2002)
• The most dramatic increase in new users of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes occurs in 12- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 25-year-olds. (NIDA, 2002)
• Mentions of hydrocodone (Vicodin) as a cause for visiting an emergency room increased by 37% among all age groups from 1997 to 1999. (NIDA, 2002)
• Although as many as 8.1 million Americans aged 12 and over have tried Ectasy, only 1% of American parents believe their children have taken the drug. (PDFA, 2002).

Self-Injury

• It is estimated that over 2 million Americans injure themselves in some way. (S.A.F.E Alternatives, 2002).
• Nearly fifty percent of those who self-injure report physical and or sexual abuse during childhood. (S.A.F.E Alternatives, 2002)
• The majority of people who self-injure are teenagers or young adults, females typically self-injure more than males. (S.A.F.E Alternatives, 2002).

Suicide

• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 15 and 24. (CDC, 2002)
• About every 2 hours a person under the age of 25 completes suicide. (AAS, 2002)
• More than 90% of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental illness or substance abuse disorder. The number one cause of suicide is depression. (NCSP, 2004)

Sources

AABA: American Anorexia/Bulimia Association
AAS: American Association of Suicidology
ACHA: American College Health Association
CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NCSP: National Council for Suicide Prevention
NIAAA: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
NIDA: National Institute on Drug Abuse
NIMH: National Institute for Mental Health
NMHA: National Mental Health Association
PDFA: Partnership for Drug-Policy Facts and Alternatives
S.A.F.E Alternatives: Self Abuse Finally Ends
UCLA: University of California, Los Angeles