College Students Seek Therapy in Record Numbers

The number of University of Washington students seeking new medical evaluations for mental health problems such as depression and anxiety has nearly tripled in the past five years.

At SPU, one-fifth of its undergraduate student body has sought therapy, many of the students reporting that they were suffering from stress.

Universities around the country -- including the University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University and Seattle University -- are reporting increases in campus mental illness, at times creating a backlog of cases and weeks-long waits to see a therapist.

No one is certain what's behind the phenomenon. Experts suggest that students today face greater pressures, taking on college loan debt to pay for rising tuition. Therapy is more socially acceptable, prompting more students to seek help. And students who once might not have attended college because of a mental illness are being diagnosed earlier, making it possible for them to go on to higher education.

"The generation that's in college right now grew up with Prozac advertised on television," said Alison Malmon, 25, executive director and founder of Active Minds on Campus, a grass-roots organization working to reduce the stigma of mental illness.