A new study released Thursday found that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is on the rise among college students.
The research found that PTSD increased by 4.1 percentage points over five years, rising from 3.4 percent of students in the 2017-2018 school year to 7.5 percent in the 2021-2022 school year.
Analysis conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggested possible stressors that could have triggered PTSD in students, such as the loss of loved ones during the pandemic, campus shootings and racial trauma.
“These trends highlight the growing mental health challenges among college students, which is consistent with recent research reporting an increase in psychiatric diagnoses,” the study concludes.
It added that “the findings suggest the need for targeted, trauma-informed prevention and intervention strategies by mental health professionals and policymakers to support the affected student population.”
About 5% of people in the US suffer from PTSD every year, and it can be a difficult diagnosis to make.
Some have argued that the disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic could be considered a traumatic event for many due to lockdowns and the high number of deaths in the country.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
