Leaders with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently partnered with The Jed Foundation to publish a new guide, “Starting the Conversation: College and Your Mental Health,” to encourage discussions about mental health.
The goal of the guide is to help parents and students talk about their mental health concerns together. The guide includes information about privacy laws, mental health and ways for students to keep their parents updated.
Statistics show that an estimated 75 percent of mental health conditions have already started by 24. This means college is a crucial time for students as they seek independence from their support systems. One out of every five young adults has a mental health condition; for 15 to 24 year olds, suicide is the second top cause of death.
“College is an incredible time in a young adult's life, but also a stressful time when the vast majority of mental illnesses first appear,” NAMI CEO Dr. Mary Giliberti said. “Yet, when students prepare to go off to college, they often get vaccines and families talk about nutrition or exercise, but skip addressing mental health needs. Reading this guide, having conversations together and knowing where to go for help are important steps to keep students mentally well and avoid tragedy from emerging mental illnesses.”
