College Life, Drinking and Mental Health

As a new fall semester gets underway, students and educators should be aware of the fact that alcohol use often goes hand-in-hand with a mental health disorder, and the combination can derail academic success in addition to other more serious negative outcomes.

Mental Health and Alcohol Abuse Go Hand in Hand

Did you know? The prevalence of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues is much higher among those who use alcohol as compared to the general population. A recent study shows nearly one-third of people with major depression also have a substance use disorder, primarily involving alcohol.

Factors for using alcohol may include:

• Alcohol may serve as a form of self-medication to alleviate symptoms of their mental health conditions.
• Genetics: individuals with a family history of either mental health issues or alcohol use disorder are more likely to experience both.
• Stress, trauma and socioeconomic status may also contribute to alcohol use.

Conversely, alcohol use, especially adolescent drinking and long-term exposure to alcohol, may predispose individuals to develop mental health disorders. Alcohol use may contribute to the development or worsening of these mental health conditions due to its depressive effects.

College students and young adults are particularly at risk. According to a 2023 National Survey, 45% of male and 49% of female full-time college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month and 29% of males and 28% of females engaged in binge drinking during the same time frame.

In addition to negatively affecting coursework, excessive drinking can lead to accidents, sexual assault and other forms of violence. Alcohol use and mental health issues may exacerbate each other and without treatment, this pattern may result in higher rates of hospitalization and suicide.

If you think your child or a young adult you know may be drinking too much and has a mental health disorder, our trained professionals are here to help with no-cost assessments. Call 901-377-4733 today or contact us.

About Lakeside Behavioral Health System

Lakeside Behavioral Health System is a psychiatric treatment center that specializes providing comprehensive mental health and behavioral health programs in Memphis, Tennessee. We offer inpatient and outpatient treatment to a variety of individuals includes children, adolescents, adults and older adults.

Some of our services that allows us to treat a variety of mental health issues such as depression and bipolar disorder are our substance use, co-occurring disorders and outpatient treatment programs. To schedule a no-cost assessment or for more information, please call 901-499-4673

Source: The National Library of Medicine, The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism