Austin 360
The need to focus on mental health has become increasingly important during the coronavirus pandemic. All age groups are feeling isolated. For college kids, sometimes that means being isolated on campus or being isolated at home while taking classes virtually.
Students have responded in different ways, says Richard Martinez, coordinator of educational programming and outreach at Texas State University, where he also works as a psychologist in the school's counseling center. Some students, he says, have adapted to a new routine. Other students have struggled to find that new routine and structure around remote learning.
This age group of students is particularly important when it comes to mental health, Martinez says, because biologically between 18 to 24 is when people typically experience the onset of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or might experience anxiety, depression or mania for the first time. There are also a lot of life transitions such as leaving home, entering first relationships, juggling jobs and going to school.