In 2025, there is a prevalent issue of worsening mental health in college/university students. WTOP reported in June of 2025, 70% of students said they’ve struggled with mental health since starting college, according to a U.S. News/Generation Lab report, which surveyed 3,649 college students in March 2024.
In addition to this, suicide rates are found to be alarmingly high, with The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reporting among adults aged 18 or older in 2023, 5.0 percent (or 12.8 million people) had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Finding that the age ranges from 18-25 years of age in 2023 alone.
It is crucial to offer mental health resources in order to ensure the well-being of each student. By implementing more accessible programs, colleges can improve quality of life for students, and even save lives.
Solano Community College has recognized this as an important issue and has extended mental health resources in the Wellness Counseling Services. Launched in 2022, The Foundation for California Community Colleges partnered with Timelycare in wake of the post-Covid 19 mental health crisis.
What makes TimelyCare different from the run of the mill counseling services? Timelycare acts as a mobile app as well as a website that provides 24/7 service whenever students need it. Through this app users are able to ask for on demand emotional support through the TalkNow feature, schedule counseling appointments with a mental health provider, with Solano providing up to 12 visits per year.
As an eighteen year old in her freshman year of college, it would be an understatement to say starting this new chapter of my life has come with mental health struggles. In addition to my own preexisting mental health struggles, transitioning from one phase of life in high school to college can be an incredibly confusing and overwhelming experience.
There has never been a more lonely time for many young adults at this age, making us as a whole more vulnerable and susceptible to mental health crises.
Knowing that there is an easily accessible outlet for help that I can use without even having to walk into a building is both comforting and shows both me and countless others there is no such thing as “alone”.
My complicated mental health journey started as early as my sophomore year of high school. I tried my best to stay resilient, but not having a supportive family and household to seek professional help didn’t just halt my progress, it eliminated it in its entirety.
Here’s what no one tells you about counseling and therapy as a high school student.
As a minor, it is incredibly difficult to access professional help without parental consent, creating a barrier to many adolescents in improving their mental health. I couldn’t attend counseling appointments at my school without being told my parents would be contacted. This setback only amplified the feelings of hopelessness and loneliness.
Now that I am 18 years old, I can get mental health services for myself, and having the option of something like TimelyCare helps me and countless others know we can overcome the setbacks of mental health, and give hope to a future of improvement.
Saving lives and bettering mental health can happen through offering these resources. Colleges can help support their young adults by implementing easily accessible programs. By letting students know that they are not alone, we can lower the statistics.
The future is in the hands of the students of today, so we must nurture them. To do that, mental health must be a community issue. We need to pay attention to the signs, we need to continue breaking the stigma. Colleges need to be held responsible for tending to their number one resource. The students.
