High anxiety
'Generation stress' needs to slow down, educators say
For Steve Dawes,
director of Furman's counseling center, the end of winter term could not
come soon enough.
During winter term, Dawes and his staff were overwhelmed by the number of anxious, stressed-out, sleep-deprived students requesting their time.
Most seemed overwhelmed by academic or social pressures. Some had relationship problems and eating disorders. Others were on anti-depressant medication. A few had suicidal thoughts. All of them needed to talk.
Faculty, student counselors and infirmary nurses agree: winter term took its toll on the student body. Harsh weather kept them indoors. Flu and gastrointestinal illnesses spread through the campus. Some students missed one or two classes and spent the rest of the term racing to catch up. And, of course, there was sorority and fraternity rush to contend with.
With the approach of exams, the level of anxiety on campus seemed to crest. One student attempted suicide and another was withdrawn from school and sent home to receive help.
"Thankfully, this term is over," said Dawes, preparing to leave his office for a week of vacation. "Our staff needs a break. And the students need a break. This term was bad, and each year it seems to get worse."
Furman is not alone. According to a study conducted by Kansas State University, the percentage of college students treated for depression doubled from 1989 to 2001. So did the proportion of suicidal students. Bombarded by technology and mounting academic pressures, today's undergraduates face a complex web of societal pressures that adults find difficult to comprehend.
"We have high-achieving students, and the amount of pressure they put on themselves is incredible," says Harry Shucker, vice president for student services. "I remember when I was in school (almost 40 years ago at Furman), a 'C' was an average grade. It was acceptable. Now there is a constant push to make all A's."
With their frenzied lifestyles and packed schedules, many students have little time to sit back and relax. Their non-stop, workaholic existence has earned today's teen-agers and college students the nickname "Generation Stress."
The intense competition to gain admission to top colleges has some teetering on burnout before they step on campus. According to a survey of freshmen coordinated by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute and the American Council on Education, 33 percent of this fall's freshman class at Furman said that they frequently felt overwhelmed with all that they had to do, compared with 15 percent of Furman freshmen in 1985.
Advancements in drug treatments have also enabled many students with severe mental disorders to attend college. Shucker estimates that 7 to 10 percent of the Furman study body are taking some sort of psychiatric medication.
What are colleges and universities doing to help - and to cope? Many have beefed up their counseling centers (Furman recently increased its staff from 2.0 to 2.5 counselors. A psychiatrist also visits the campus regularly to talk with students.) Freshman orientation programs also help acclimate students to campus life. Furman's weeklong program includes peer counseling and helps establish a support group that students may turn to later. Faculty, staff and residence hall advisors are encouraged to look for symptoms of mental illness, which include class absenteeism, threatening self-harm, erratic, unpredictable behavior, and withdrawal from typical activities.
Some critics say that higher education needs to be more proactive, arguing that educators encourage and reward "busyness" by designing new campus activities and promoting expanded leadership and service learning projects.
Dawes and Shucker say that hard-driving students arrive at Furman on a sprint. The challenge is getting them to slow down. "I think we need to provide opportunities and encourage them to participate, but not to get overwhelmed," says Dawes. "They need to learn to say 'no.' You should come to college and study hard, but you have to relax, too. College should be an enjoyable learning experience."
Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
