Depression, burnout, anxiety: College students face pandemic of stress as campuses reopen

College students in New Jersey and across the country are already burned out as they return to campuses, mental health experts said, as more than a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic takes its toll.

At Rutgers, the school's chief psychologist, Stephanie Marcello, says the university is planning to screen its students for mental health concerns. Meanwhile, a survey of 162 William Paterson University students last year found that two-thirds complained of depression and anxiety brought on by the health crisis. 

With coronavirus variants still spreading, the stress isn't expected to go away. In April, Ohio State University surveyed 1,100 students: 71% said they were burned out, up from 40% the previous year, said Chief Wellness Officer Bernadette Melnyk.

“We are seeing high levels of anxiety, depression and burnout," Melnyk said. "We have a mental health pandemic inside of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

As a result, 29% of students reported unhealthy eating in the OSU survey this year, up from 25% in August 2020. Alcohol use rose from 15.5% to 18%. Smoking and vaping went from 6% to 8%, and physical activity like exercise fell from 35% to 28%, according to Melnyk's survey, which relied on self-reporting.

Ohio State senior Mary Trabue, 21, is an engineering student who lives in an apartment off campus. Her grades plummeted after the campus closed and classes went virtual in March 2020. 

“I struggled because I need hands-on experience to learn," said Trabue, who is from New Vienna, Ohio. "We weren’t allowed on campus, and I wasn’t going to go around seeing friends. I spent every day in my apartment."

"Every day was the same, and I wasn’t learning through Zoom," she said. "I dreaded getting out of bed, and motivation hit an all-time low.”  

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She wasn’t alone. Students around the world are feeling the effects of living through a pandemic during what's already a high-stress time in their young lives. 

“There is data that shows almost a third of college students have an anxiety disorder,” said Marcello, who also leads Rutgers' Behavioral Research and Training Institute.

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The study to which Marcello referred surveyed more than 134,000 college students from 28 countries and found that fear of contracting the virus and worry over changes in coursework resulted in “loneliness, compromised motivation, and sleep disturbances, as well as anxious and depressive symptoms.”

The coronavirus forced colleges to cancel in-person learning, social activities and sports. Many sent students home at the height of the pandemic, fueling a range of problems from stress to depression.  

“All of the things you do in college weren’t there anymore,” Marcello said.

From clubs to sports teams, college campuses are where people who are still developing their identities outside of their families and neighborhoods find their peers, she said. 

“Your identity is starting to form. You are finding out who you are outside of the community you grew up in. That was halted for a year. Eighteen to 25 can be a stressful time in itself, developmentally, and then you add COVID to the mix,” Marcello said. 

In the William Paterson study, researchers Aleksandar Kecojevic, Corey Basch, Marianne Sullivan and Nicole Davi wrote that COVID-19's "significant negative impact on mental health of college students" needs to be studied further in order to help students with the myriad ways it affected their lives. 

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At Ohio State, Melnyk has conducted three student surveys so far this year and plans to do more because it’s important to keep checking “the pulse” of the student body, she said. She organized resources for students who her surveys showed were starting to lose steam. 

The school launched a “telehealth wellness hub” where information about mindfulness and health were collected along with mental health resources for students looking for help. It established a hotline students could call to seek help from nursing students or faculty members. 

For students returning this fall, “one of the most important things is universal screening,” Marcello said. “Let’s screen everyone for depression, anxiety, substance abuse and trauma. A lot of colleges have apps. Meet [students] where they are. This generation likes a lot of tech.” 

Rutgers has a mental health app like Ohio State’s wellness hub. It features screening questions, mindfulness tools and mental health resources. Rutgers, like most schools, offers telehealth counseling, an in-person counseling center and crisis hotlines. 

“The other piece is reaching out to friends, joining clubs and organizations,” said Marcello. “Then there are the little everyday things like eating healthy, exercising and getting enough sleep. These things tend to go a little downhill in college. But they are so vital for maintaining not just mental health but wellness.”

Not doing these little things can be symptoms of bigger problems. Trabue started sleeping into the afternoons and pushing responsibilities off until the last minute. 

“I was forcing myself to get out of bed. It was a downward spiral. I wasn’t doing assignments until the day they were due, and that added to my stress. I was never a student like that before,” Trabue said. 

Friends and family suggested she go to the counseling center, and she agreed.

“I realized I couldn’t change it by myself,” said Trabue.  

Counseling sessions showed her she wasn’t alone and shouldn’t be ashamed of struggling in the middle of the pandemic. 

“Self-care was a big thing they talked about. I wasn’t taking time out of the day to do something I liked,” Trabue said. 

Talking about her feelings helped. Her grades picked up.  She worried about returning to school this year, but so far things have been better.

“The majority of the campus is open now, and I am getting to interact with class members,” Trabue said. “We are wearing masks, except outside, and it is so nice to walk around and see people’s faces again. I am getting a semblance of things being back to normal.”

These days she keeps anxiety at bay by exercising with the school’s powerlifting club. This is exactly what mental health professionals recommend: After more than a year of isolation, they say, students should make an effort to be more social. Join clubs and make plans with friends. 

“The more we keep things inside, the more they can have a negative impact on us,” Marcello said. “Find someone to talk about it with. That is one of the healthiest things a person can do. Of course, if it seems like somebody needs professional help, see that they get to the counseling center. We want to make sure that we connect them to help. But for everyone else, just keep talking.” 

Gene Myers is a reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: myers@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @myersgene