The Kids Aren't Alright:
What Students and Families Need to Know About the College Mental Health Crisis

There is a mental health crisis on American campuses. In the last several years, depression and anxiety have risen dramatically among our nation’s youth. Wooed by college marketing departments and matriculation speeches which promise them “the best years of their lives,” students enter higher education unprepared for the many challenges of campus life and often find themselves lonely, anxious, and depressed.

In The Kids Aren’t Alright, public health expert Michelle Bowdler offers a practical blueprint for navigating the emotional landscape of higher education. As Bowdler reveals, the crisis begins long before move-in day, as the intense pressures of the application process leave students feeling anxious and burned out before they matriculate. Once students arrive on campus, these issues can be compounded by drug and alcohol abuse, sexual assault, lack of institutional resources, and more.