{"id":265017,"date":"2026-05-20T14:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=265017"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:19:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:19:37","slug":"nearly-60-percent-of-college-students-with-a-psychosis-diagnosis-are-not-receiving-the-recommended-mental-health-treatment","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2026\/nearly-60-percent-of-college-students-with-a-psychosis-diagnosis-are-not-receiving-the-recommended-mental-health-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 60 Percent of College Students with a Psychosis Diagnosis Are Not Receiving the Recommended Mental Health Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-left has-text-position-y-bottom has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Young female teenager talking with counselor, psychologist sitting in chair in office\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis.jpg 2121w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-755x503.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2026\/05\/psychosis-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner has-opacity-80\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">psychosis<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Nearly 60% of College Students with Psychosis Are Not Receiving the Recommended Mental Health Treatment<\/strong>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Although the majority of students sought and received therapy or counseling in the past 12 months, less than 40 percent received the recommended combination of therapy\/counseling and antipsychotic medication, suggesting potential barriers to accessing this medication.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">May 20, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/jillian-mckoy\/\">Jillian McKoy<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>Despite a low overall prevalence of psychosis in the United States, affecting <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0195687\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">three percent<\/a> of the population, this condition is a serious public health concern because people often delay seeking care for an <a href=\"https:\/\/psychiatryonline.org\/doi\/10.1176\/appi.ps.201400124\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average of 74 weeks from the time symptoms begin<\/a>. As psychosis tends to emerge in early adulthood, it\u2019s important to understand the reasons why young adults who experience psychosis seek\u2014or do not seek\u2014mental health treatment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new study led by a School of Public Health researcher examined the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes that influenced college students\u2019 with a diagnosis of psychosis to seek help for their mental health and found that while a majority of these students believed they needed mental health treatment, 60 percent of students did not meet current recommended guidelines for combined antipsychotic medication and therapy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00127-026-03102-7#Sec13\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Published in the journal <em>Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology<\/em><\/a>, the study found that nearly 8 in 10 surveyed college students with psychosis reported needing mental health support. While 8 in 10 students did seek therapy or counseling within the past 12 months, only 4 in 10 students reported taking antipsychotic medication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis high identified need for help but low utilization of services indicates potential barriers to accessing this care,\u201d says study lead and corresponding author <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/clara-godoy-henderson-ms-lsw-30993017a\">Clara Godoy-Henderson<\/a>, a PhD student in health services and policy research. \u201cEarly intervention and access to services such as therapy and medication in this population are important because it improves outcomes related to overall quality of life, school involvement, employment, symptom severity, and relapse rate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study is among the largest to assess the use of antipsychotic medication, therapy\/counseling, and informal support among college students with psychosis. As the average <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41380-021-01161-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">age of onset<\/a> of psychosis is about 20 years old, understanding college students\u2019 perceptions and behaviors around treating this condition can help identify opportunities for earlier interventions that could improve psychosis outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the study, Godoy-Henderson and colleagues at SPH and the University of Minnesota analyzed national survey data from the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/healthymindsnetwork.org\/hms\/\" target=\"_blank\">Healthy Minds Study<\/a>, the nation\u2019s largest survey of student mental health, conducted by the Healthy Minds Network. The researchers examined responses from 2,819 college students with a diagnosis of psychosis, provided between 2015-2024, about their 12-month history with therapy\/counseling and antipsychotic medication, as well as whether informal support from various groups around them (friends, loved ones, roommates, campus staff, religious counselors, or support groups) motivated them to seek or utilize these services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, the majority of students\u2014nearly 60 percent\u2014believed that they needed help for their psychosis condition. Students who did not believe they needed mental health help\u2014or who believed that therapy\/counseling and medication would not be helpful in treating their condition\u2014were less likely to seek and receive these services. Still, the high identified need for help, but low utilization of antipsychotic medication, may indicate that students are encountering barriers to care, such as stigma\u2014an issue that is also the focus of this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nami.org\/stay-connected\/events\/awareness-events\/mental-health-awareness-month\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mental Health Awareness Month<\/a>, an awareness campaign held each May by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings also suggested that college students who believed they needed mental health treatment were more likely to have received informal support from health professionals or friends, and were more likely to take antipsychotic medication and\/or receive therapy\/counseling if they were encouraged\u2014versus being pressured or forced to seek help, as is often the case when patients can be institutionalized for their mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Support systems play a crucial role in identifying early psychosis symptoms and help navigate mental health services, which may be an important factor in treatment initiation,\u201d says Godoy-Henderson. \u201cHowever, future research should examine the long-term outcomes of individuals who are encouraged by their support systems to seek help for their mental health versus being mandated to treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Future research should also aim \u201cto better understand the barriers to antipsychotic medication to improve poor outcomes, such as delayed care, and high relapse rates in individuals with psychosis,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study\u2019s senior author is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/sarah-lipson\/\">Sarah Lipson<\/a>, associate professor of health law, policy &amp; management at SPH and a principal investigator of the Healthy Minds Network. The study was coauthored by Sara Shiv Denner, SPH student in Applied Biostatistics at the time of the study; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/spotlight\/michelle-flesaker\/\">Michelle Flesaker<\/a>, data analyst for SPH&#8217;s Center for Trauma and Mental Health; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/janice-weinberg\/\">Janice Weinberg<\/a>, professor of biostatistics at SPH; and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/med.umn.edu\/bio\/melissa-dalhoe\" target=\"_blank\">Melissa Dalhoe<\/a>, assistant professor and Inclusive Excellence &amp; Well-Being assistant director in the Department of Psychiatry &amp; Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-two sphnews-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2024\/01\/student-mental-health-600.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Asian student woman read books in library at university. Young girl stress tired have problem while study hard. Sadness concept\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>equity<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2024\/addressing-college-mental-health-cannot-fall-solely-to-the-campus-health-system\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Addressing College Mental Health \u2018Cannot Fall Solely to the Campus Health System\u2019<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">January 26, 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite a low overall prevalence of psychosis in the United States, affecting three percent of the population, this condition is a serious public health concern because people often delay seeking care for an average of 74 weeks from the time symptoms begin. As psychosis tends to emerge in early adulthood, it\u2019s important to understand the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15205,"featured_media":265022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[5495,3649,2381,1871,1793,5493,5494],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3520,3531,3535,3540],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[2834],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/265017"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265017"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/265017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":265030,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/265017\/revisions\/265030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265017"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=265017"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=265017"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=265017"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=265017"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=265017"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=265017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}