"How College Students Can Cope With Anxiety And Depression" - Kristin Toussaint
Thousands of students across the country are getting ready to go back to school. But whether they’re heading off to college for the first time or returning to campus, they might be feeling some anxiety along with their excitement. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders in adolescents, said Lindsay Gerber, PsyD, clinical psychologist at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center. And since college comes with a lot of expectations, changes and stressors, students often deal with mental health issues. “We see a lot of kids coming in from local colleges in the area or who have been here a couple of years and are now transitioning to go off to college,” she said. “There’s a lot of worries of ‘what’s it going to be like, am I going to fit it, how am I going to take on this new responsibility of academics and social life?’ Kids get really excited about the increased freedom, but at the same time with that freedom comes a lot of fear.” Still, the increase in students seeking services means some schools are overwhelmed when it comes to providing care. That’s where a service like the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center could come in.
- Lindsay E. Gerber, PsyD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Clinical Psychologist, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center