Suicidal ideation among U.S. college students receiving mental healthcare 2010-2021

From 2020 to 2021, around 33 percent of college and university students who received mental health services had seriously considered suicide. This statistic shows the percentage of college and university students in the U.S. who received mental health services and had seriously considered attempting suicide from 2010 to 2021.

Post-secondary students and mental health

Although often an exciting time, transitioning to college or university can present youth with new pressures and stress due to increased responsibilities, freedom, and academic demands within different social surroundings while adjusting to a new environment. This can unfortunately lead to mental health challenges for some students, especially for those living with pre-existing mental health challenges – for example, in 2019 -2020, around one quarter of college students reported having an anxiety disorder or another mood disorder. Moreover, nearly one quarter of college and university students in the U.S. reported non-suicidal self-harm behaviors and around fourteen percent reported having suicidal ideation.

Suicide prevention strategies

In order to help increase students’ mental health and wellbeing, many campuses offer different types of support, such as peer support groups, awareness campaigns, and professional services. In 2019-2020, the majority of U.S. students reported knowing where they could go for on-campus professional mental health resources. Families and friends of post-secondary students who are struggling can help through maintaining supportive contact, engaging in conversations about mental health struggles and self-care strategies, and seeking out the on-campus resources available.