Depression and help-seeking behaviors among college students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study 2018-2019

Abstract

Objective

To determine the likelihood of using formal and informal mental health services among college students according to prior history of depression diagnosis and presence of depression symptoms.

Participants

College students from 79 universities in the U.S. and Canada who participated in the Healthy Minds Study, 2018-2019.

Methods

Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals via logistic regression were estimated for the likelihood of using informal and formal mental health services stratified by depression diagnosis and severity of depression symptoms and further stratified by race/ethnicity.

Results

We report increased odds of using formal mental health services with increasing depression severity symptoms and increased odds of using formal mental health services among students without a clinical depression diagnosis. The odds of service utilization varied by race/ethnicity.

Conclusions

The likelihood of seeking mental health services differs depending on the history of formal depression diagnosis, current symptoms, and race/ethnicity among college students.

Keywords:

• College students
• mental health service utilization
• help-seeking
• depression

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Sarah K. Lipson for reviewing this manuscript. We would also like to thank all students who responded to the 2018-2019 Healthy Minds Survey for participating.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no competing interests to report.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no grant from public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding agencies.