Five ways college instructors can help students take care of their mental health

Rates of higher education student mental health problems had already been on the rise. From 2012 to 2018, for example, the number of self-reported suicide attempts more than doubled among college undergraduates. Since then – in large part because of the pandemic – college leaders have expressed increased concern for the mental health of students. In September 2020, 61% of college presidents at four-year public institutions identified the mental health of students as a top concern. A year later, that figure jumped to 71%.