ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 26 (UPI) -- A survey of 2,785 University of Michigan students found more than half with significant symptoms of anxiety or depression do not seek help.
This is despite the fact that resources are available at no cost on campus, according to Daniel Eisenberg, of University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Eisenberg, working with with doctoral students Sarah Gollust and Ezra Golberstein, conducted the Web-based survey in an attempt to quantify mental health service use and factors associated with whether or not students seek help.
University of Michigan students have access to free mental health and counseling services, yet among those with significant symptoms of depressive or anxiety disorders, anywhere between 37 percent and 84 percent of students didn't seek treatment, depending on the disorder.
However, 72 percent of students with positive screens for major depression did acknowledge they needed help for their mental health. Overall, about 10 percent of students surveyed said they received therapy, and the same percentage said they took some type of psychotropic drug, according to the study published online in the journal Medical Care.
