Although the majority of students sought and received therapy or counseling within the past 12 months, fewer than 40 percent received the recommended combination of treatment/counseling and antipsychotic medication, suggesting potential barriers to accessing this medication.
Although the overall prevalence of mental illness in the United States is low, affecting 3% of the population, it is a serious public health concern because people often delay seeking treatment for an average of 74 weeks after symptoms appear. Because psychosis tends to occur in early adulthood, it is important to understand why youth who experience psychosis do or do not seek mental health treatment.
A new study led by researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) examines the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes that influence mental health help-seeking among college students diagnosed with psychosis and finds that while the majority of students believe that mental health treatment is necessary, 60% of students do not meet currently recommended guidelines for antipsychotic medications and combination therapy.
Published in a magazine Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiologyThe study found that nearly eight in 10 college students with mental illness surveyed reported needing mental health support. Although 8 in 10 students had received therapy or counseling in the past 12 months, only 4 in 10 reported taking antipsychotic medication.
Despite this high support need, low service utilization points to potential barriers to accessing this care. Early intervention and access to services such as treatment and medication in this population is important to improve outcomes related to overall quality of life, school participation, employment, symptom severity, and relapse rates. ”
Clara Godoy-Henderson, Principal Investigator and Corresponding Author, PhD Student in Health Services and Policy Studies, BUSPH
This study is one of the largest to evaluate antipsychotic medication use, treatment/counseling, and informal support for college students with psychosis. Because the average age of onset of psychosis is approximately 20 years, understanding college students’ perceptions and behaviors regarding treatment of this condition can help identify opportunities for early intervention that may improve psychosis outcomes.
For the study, Godoy Henderson and colleagues at BUSPH and the University of Minnesota analyzed national survey data from the Healthy Minds Survey, the nation’s largest student mental health survey conducted by the Healthy Minds Network. Researchers examined responses from 2,819 college students diagnosed with mental illness provided from 2015 to 2024, including their 12-month history of treatment/counselling and antipsychotic medication, and whether informal support from various groups around them (friends, romantic partners, roommates, campus staff, religious counselors, support groups) motivated students to seek or use these services.
Overall, the majority of students (approximately 60 percent) believed that they needed help for their mental illness. Students who did not believe they needed mental health support or believed that therapy/counseling or medication were not helpful in treating their condition were less likely to seek and receive these services. Still, low rates of antipsychotic medication use despite a high perceived need for assistance may indicate that students face barriers to care, such as stigma. The issue is also the focus of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month, an awareness campaign held each May by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The findings also suggested that college students who believe they need mental health treatment are more likely to receive informal support from medical professionals and friends, and more likely to take antipsychotic medication or seek treatment or counseling if encouraged, rather than pressured or asked to seek help, as is often the case when patients are institutionalized for their mental health.
“Support systems play an important role in identifying early symptoms of psychosis and can help people access mental health services, which can be a key factor in starting treatment,” Godoy-Henderson says. “However, future research should examine the long-term outcomes for individuals who are encouraged by support systems to seek help for their mental health and those who are mandated to receive treatment.”
Future research should also aim to “better understand the barriers to antipsychotic drug administration in order to improve poor outcomes such as treatment delays and high relapse rates in psychiatric patients,” she says.
The study’s senior author is Dr. Sarah Lipson, associate professor of health law, policy and management at BUSPH and principal investigator of the Healthy Minds Network.
sauce:
Boston University School of Public Health
Reference magazines:
Godoy Henderson, C. Others. (2026). Mental health help-seeking activities by U.S. college students diagnosed with psychosis. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-026-03102-7. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-026-03102-7
