In an effort to respond to a spike in the number of students diagnosed with depression on campus and at colleges across the country, University officials are working to better accommodate the greater need and desire for psychological services and counseling.

According to the National College Health Assessment from Spring 2010, more than 11 percent of the 37,657 college students from 65 post-secondary institutions nationwide that filled out the survey said they suffered from depression. The assessment reported that 18.3 percent of students reported having anxiety, 20 percent had trouble sleeping and 27.4 percent of students surveyed said they felt stressed.

Dr. Robert Winfield, director of University Health Services and chief health officer, said data like this is pushing University officials to work to offer more resources to students suffering from mental health issues.

“I think that we in college health have all noticed an increase in mental health issues, and I want to be specific, I’m not just talking about depression, mental health issues,” Winfield said.

Winfield said he has noticed an increase in anxiety, relationship issues and attention deficit disorders in recent years.

“We don’t know if we’re seeing more of something because there is all this stress in life or because there’s less stigma and shame about it,” he said. “There are a lot of factors that go into this.”

To help reduce the number of disorders that go undiagnosed, Winfield said UHS is currently working to implement regular mental evaluations of students, scheduled to begin this winter.

Winfield said that as of now, UHS will likely use two different questionnaires. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9 screens for risk of depression. The other questionnaire UHS is considering is the Audit and would test for alcohol-related problems, which can be linked to depression.

Winfield also noted that more students are coming to the University already diagnosed with mental health issues and are already taking medications to treat them.

“My suspicion is resources allow people to attend a college successfully despite their particular problems,” Winfield said.

Tim Davis, associate director of the University's Counseling and Psychological Services, said the increase in the number of students seeking counseling is very apparent to staffers working in the CAPS office.

“There’s a perception that across the board ... we’re seeing more student need for services,” Davis said. “We’re bursting at the seams, and we didn’t used to burst at the seams.”

Davis said there are a few common theories floating around about the cause of the increase of mental disorders on college campuses.

“I want to believe that the stigma is going down that’s associated with seeking counseling services,” he said.

Davis explained that medical advancements might have also pushed the increase in diagnoses. While new medicines allow those with more serious mental disorders to attend college, they also bring to campus people who previously might not have had the resources available to them to be successful in a college environment. Davis said that just 20 years ago, going to college with bipolar disorder was very uncommon.

He added that many people believe that stress in the lives of college students has increased in recent years.

“There are some people out there who say, ‘Hey, you know what, this time of life is getting more stressful,’” he said.

Davis said that while the theory is not proven, it’s likely this “emotional crunch” makes people more susceptible to depression and other conditions. CAPS officials are working to help students address these issues, he said.