Current psychiatric treatment for college students with depression only, anxiety only, or comorbid depression & anxiety (2013-2019)

Background: This epidemiological study described changes in the estimated prevalence of current pharmaco-logical and/or psychotherapy-based treatment utilization among college students with depression only, anxiety only, or comorbid depression & anxiety.Methods: A sample of 190,500 weighted responses was collected through the 2013-2019 Healthy Minds Study questionnaires. Annual prevalence estimates of depression only, anxiety only, or comorbid depression & anxiety were computed. Current use of therapy, pharmacological services, or dual treatment among students with depression and/or anxiety were examined via descriptive statistics. Results: Estimated prevalence of college students who screened positive for depression only, anxiety only, and comorbid depression & anxiety escalated from 2013 to 2018-2019. When assessed individually, rates of currently using any psychiatric medication, participating in therapy, and engaging in concurrent medication & therapy services significantly rose among students with depression and/or anxiety. However, temporal trends in the current use of specific classes of psychiatric medications among young adults with depression only, anxiety only, or comorbid depression & anxiety differed by medication class.Limitations: This study was unable to assess psychiatric prescribing practices, depression or anxiety diagnoses, and prior mental health treatment.Conclusions: An increasing proportion of college students are reporting depression and/or anxiety symptoms as well as pharmacological and/or psychotherapy service utilization when comparing rates from 2013 to 2018-19. Although this may indicate increasing acceptability to disclose and seek treatment for problematic sympto-mology, continued surveillance of college populations is needed to identify students at risk for adverse psychi-atric health outcomes, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Automated summary

The prevalence of depression and/or anxiety symptoms among college students has increased, along with the utilization of pharmacological and/or psychotherapy services. Continued surveillance and identification of students at risk for adverse psychiatric health outcomes is necessary, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.