Literature Review 2

Hunt, Justin, and Daniel Eisenberg. “Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior Among College Students.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 46, no. 1, 2010, pp. 3–10., doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.008.

Summary:

In this journal, the authors discuss mental health problems among different college campuses. They reviewed different research that showed them the prevalence of mental health and how students reach out for help. Although this study is a few years old, they discussed how many college students are depressed and do not seek out help. When students do not reach out and get the support they need, their grades start to slip which then leads many other aspects of their lives to start slipping too. Later on in the journal, it also talks about how there are different barriers that stop students from seeking support. It has also been shown that schools are unable to keep up with the demand for mental health services. Students who seek out support will have to wait months on end to see someone because schools are unable to keep up with the demand. 

Authors: 

The authors of this journal are Justin Hunt, M.d., M.S., and Daniel Eisenberg, Ph.D. Both these authors are very knowledgeable on the topic because they are both psychiatrists. They strive to promote the mental health of young people. 

Key Terms:

• Mental disorders: Conditions that affect moods, thinking, and behaviors. These disorders are very prevalent among college students. Most mental disorders have an onset at about age twenty-four. 
• Barriers: In this case, they are obstacles stopping students from seeking help when they need it. Some of these barriers could include lack of time, privacy concerns, and financial constraints. 

Quotes:

“Mental disorders account for nearly one-half of the disease burden for young adults in the United States [5], and most lifetime mental disorders have first onset by age 24 years [6]” (Hunt, Justin, and Daniel Eisenberg,3). 

“Within the college population, certain subgroups have a significantly higher prevalence of mental health problems, which is consistent with the studies of the general population [19]. Male undergraduates are at a higher risk for suicide [20], but female students are more likely to screen positive for major depression and anxiety disorders [21]. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are at a higher risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms [10,21,22]” (Hunt, Justin, and Daniel Eisenberg, 4). 

“Other studies also find that, among secondary school students, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are negatively associated with academic measures such as grade point average [61] and verbal test scores [59,61] (Hunt, Justin, and Daniel Eisenberg,6).

Value:

This journal has been very helpful in exploring my topic. Although it is old, it gives a lot of helpful statistics on students and their mental health. Along with this, it also discussed how resources are slim which is something very important to lookout. Additionally, it was written by two prestigious physiatrists which is helpful since they are very knowledgeable on the topic.