Trend Analysis of Depression and Anxiety in College Students

The purpose of this thesis is to determine what factors are contributing to the growing trend of depression and anxiety on college campus. Each section will explore a questioned topic as it relates to depression and anxiety among college students. The first section focuses on the idea that students are unaware of the trend. Data from a 2014 American College Health Association study will be used to demonstrate this assumption. The next section addresses depression and anxiety and the sub-disorders most associated with college students. Each disorder is explained through clinical descriptions and concrete examples are provided. The final section focuses on concerns related to availability and access of mental health services including funding and resource allocation. I also provided a Western Oregon University specific example to show how accessibility impacts the trend. Through my research, I identified all of these factors as major forces driving the increase in mental health issues among college students