Anxiety, stress and depression are the most common concerns. Prevalence has increased from a decade ago, peaked during 2020 and still remains higher than in pre-pandemic years.
“I think people are struggling with loneliness and belonging and social anxiety that was created from lockdown and being socially isolated,” said UW-Milwaukee counseling director Carrie Fleider. “We’re having students who are now freshmen who really spent the last three years in this state of flux with isolation and hybrid and lack of opportunities that they would have (had) prior to the pandemic.”