It is no secret that students today are suffering from more mental health crises than ever before, with the number of students declaring mental health problems having doubled in the past 5 years. However, it's not only students who are feeling the pressure. Institutions across the country are finding it increasingly difficult to meet this new demand of mental health counselling.
Mental health issues are not an overnight phenomenon. Studies have shown that children are developing anxiety younger than ever, with 1 out of 4 children and adolescents experiencing some type of anxiety disorder.
The number of post-secondary students who admit to seriously considering suicide has increased 3.5% since 2013. It is statistics like this that make it clear that institutions must take a proactive role in making sure that their students feel safe and supported.
Seeing that 97% of Gen-Z and Millennials already own smartphones, one possible solution to assist with this increased demand for mental health support is establishing a mobile student community. By going mobile, students would not need to wait for school hours to ask for help; they would have access to a peer-to-peer support network, day or night. A mobile platform would also allow students access to information regarding support services quickly and easily.
While there are many different avenues that institutions can take in order to combat this issue, one thing is for sure: today's students need support now more than ever.
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