Depression and college choice

[Anonymous]

How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

[Anonymous]

DD absolutely need to go to college with sunshine and moderate climate and an available social scene. Mostly Florida or California.

[Anonymous]

Would you be willing to let your DC attend a highly competitive college? Knowing that such an environment can exacerbate their anxiety and depression?

[Anonymous]

What they need are collaborative communities. They also need sunlight and climate favorable for outdoor activities. If there are things to do and places to be near campus, it also helps.

IMHO a medium size residential college in a warm urban setting is usually a better place for mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

My child has psychosis. I am limiting his search to schools within 3 hrs of MD. I feel better if I can visit easily to make sure he is okay. He is going to need to find a new psychiatrist if he does go out of state though.

[Anonymous]

You may want to explore colleges in California, Florida and Texas making happiest college lists every year.

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/g11438356/happiest-college-students/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

My child has psychosis. I am limiting his search to schools within 3 hrs of MD. I feel better if I can visit easily to make sure he is okay. He is going to need to find a new psychiatrist if he does go out of state though.

Good choice. However, tele-psychiatry is a game changer.

[Anonymous]

Sunshine 🌞 helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

My child has psychosis. I am limiting his search to schools within 3 hrs of MD. I feel better if I can visit easily to make sure he is okay. He is going to need to find a new psychiatrist if he does go out of state though.

Good choice. However, tele-psychiatry is a game changer.

Tell me more. His psychiatrist is only licensed to prescribe meds in MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

My child has psychosis. I am limiting his search to schools within 3 hrs of MD. I feel better if I can visit easily to make sure he is okay. He is going to need to find a new psychiatrist if he does go out of state though.

Good choice. However, tele-psychiatry is a game changer.

If your kid is a high achiever, I would not rule out highly selective schools. These schools have more resources, including health counseling. Their mental health counseling - no charge to students - is better than the ones through a private health insurance that costs $300/session.

[Anonymous]

My DC has depression and chose a selective school in california. The sun definitely helps. And the school has excellent mental health resources. DC is very smart and the school is challenging without being overwhelming or overly competitive, kids are friendly and upbeat, as opposed to being anxious neurotic and obsessed with grades. It’s a perfect balance for DC who needs to be engaged intellectually but also feel like they can be successful. Don’t rule out selective colleges, just find the right vibe and place for your DC, do the research on the culture of the school.

[Anonymous]

My DC with severe depression is going in state so that they can continue with their current therapist and psychiatrist easily and so I could get to them quickly if needed. It's a smaller school, not a massive university, and has excellent mental health resources (though, like at all colleges, it's not replacement for regular therapy).

I'll admit I'm terrified and at times DC will admit they are too. But this is what they want and I hope it will be a good experience for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

My child has psychosis. I am limiting his search to schools within 3 hrs of MD. I feel better if I can visit easily to make sure he is okay. He is going to need to find a new psychiatrist if he does go out of state though.

Good choice. However, tele-psychiatry is a game changer.

Tell me more. His psychiatrist is only licensed to prescribe meds in MD.

From personal experience, meds only within a state are controlled substances. You need a prescription in the state where your kid is A PPO insurance will work with a new doctor near the campus. Or try a campus psychiatrist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

My child has psychosis. I am limiting his search to schools within 3 hrs of MD. I feel better if I can visit easily to make sure he is okay. He is going to need to find a new psychiatrist if he does go out of state though.

Good choice. However, tele-psychiatry is a game changer.

If your kid is a high achiever, I would not rule out highly selective schools. These schools have more resources, including health counseling. Their mental health counseling - no charge to students - is better than the ones through a private health insurance that costs $300/session.

He is not a high achiever. 3.3ish GPA or so. He would never get into selective schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did you go about choosing and applying for colleges if your DC deals with depression or other mental health issues? Thanks

My child has psychosis. I am limiting his search to schools within 3 hrs of MD. I feel better if I can visit easily to make sure he is okay. He is going to need to find a new psychiatrist if he does go out of state though.

Good choice. However, tele-psychiatry is a game changer.

If your kid is a high achiever, I would not rule out highly selective schools. These schools have more resources, including health counseling. Their mental health counseling - no charge to students - is better than the ones through a private health insurance that costs $300/session.

But be careful: increasing numbers of students want and need to access counseling and other mental health services (and this goes back to before the pandemic). Even well-funded, selective schools may have trouble meeting campus mental health needs, especially at difficult times of the year (midterms, etc.). Students need to seek care promptly and self-advocate; they can even be dropped from counseling schedules for missed appointments just because there are so many other students in line for help.

Don't depend only on the campus counseling center, no matter how good it is, if DC has a clinical mental-health history. Make sure you have other, additional supports in place and on call, especially a prescribing psychiatrist (likely overbooked in a university environment) and an emergency therapist, telehealth service, or default red-button helper. This is for weekend or evening issues when DC might not prefer to activate the campus emergency systems: it can take several steps to get emergency mental-health help after hours at college, and in some cases means having to start by calling the campus police (which many students might not want to do). Colleges want to help, but there never seem to be enough resources to go around.

And for those whose DCs don't have a mental-health history: don't overestimate resilience and stability in a new environment. Make sure before they leave that DC knows how to recognize signs of depression, anxiety, and crisis "so they can help their friends" (when you're really teaching them also for themselves). Make sure when they arrive at college that they know exactly how to contact the counseling services, including nights and weekends, what services are available, and how in-demand they are (so that they do not wait to ask for help and then find themselves without a place). Stay in touch; be prepared to listen; and encourage intervention at the first signs of trouble. The less assumption that everyone is fine, and the more routine we make conversation about mental-health care, the better off everyone will be.

- College prof