Resumen

ANTUNEZ, Zayra; ALAMO, Catalina; BAADER, Tomás  y  VIDAL, Rodrigo. Resultados de una evaluación y seguimiento online de problemas de salud mental en universitarios chilenos. Interdisciplinaria [online]. 2023, vol.40, n.2, pp.265-279. ISSN 1668-7027.  http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.16888/interd.2023.40.2.16.

The exponential increase in higher education students and the new university profile that incorporates more vulnerable social groups are associated with an increase in mental health problems in this population. Likewise, the complex stage of the life cycle in which these young people find themselves and the stress of the transition between adolescence and adulthood are other risk factors for the development of mental health problems. The emergence of mental health problems in this group could then be due to a confluence of factors, also facilitating risk behaviors.

National and international researches have reported the worrying rates of mental health disorders in university students, mainly in relation to the presence of depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol or drug use, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation. These disorders tend to be aggravated, because the university population is prone not to seek help. The stigma of presenting mental health problems, skepticism about treatments, not wanting to worry the closest family and the few economic resources or not having a health plan, lead to not seeking help or do this late. Studies have found that more than half of students who need mental health and support services are not receiving them. On the other hand, a high percentage seeks help late, which implies that the disorders are accentuated or become chronic, which makes subsequent treatment and improvement difficult, even becoming a public health problem due to the high economic and professional demand that these treatments require.

Palabras clave : mental health; students; mass screening; symptom assessment; young adult.

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