Stress, a non-specific response of the body to a demand, has increased among college students… Stress, a non-specific response of the body to a demand, has increased among college students in the last few years, according to recent reports about college students’ mental health.

Mental illness – sometimes a severe result of stress – among college students has climbed to 20 percent, making it close to that of the general population, according to U.S. News and World Report.

But don’t burn your books and book a flight for Tahiti just yet. James Cox, interim director of Pitt’s Counseling Services said the report is not cause for alarm, but simply concern.

Cox is particularly concerned about the cause of rising stress levels among seniors, he said, since recent reports focus mainly on freshmen’s mental health.

“People often think of freshmen, but our data shows that, increasingly, seniors are stressed,” said Cox.

Data from Counseling Services during the last three years shows a 5 percent drop in freshmen seeking the services, while the number of seniors seeking help has risen by 10 percent.

“The question is, ‘why is this happening?'” Cox said. “If the problem is internal, we can fix it. But if it is external, what can we do?”

The internal stresses Cox described often arise from common stress-inducing issues in students’ lives, ranging from relationships to academic problems.

External stresses, on the other hand, can develop from a high unemployment rate, a struggling economy or the threat of war.

“It is much harder to help the students,” Cox said, referring to external problems. “I saw a student yesterday who – I don’t think he knows how he can pay for next semester. And that’s got to be really stressful.”

While Cox couldn’t say for certain that the problem is because of recent economic pressures on students, he suggested that anxiety about money has risen with students’ ambitions for higher education.

More than ever, students hold outside jobs or carry multiple majors, according to Cox.

“It used to be that students really liked both subjects they majored in,” he said, adding that more students now tend to choose subjects that they believe will guarantee steady incomes.

Though 17,000 freshmen applied to Pitt this year, there were only 3,000 slots to be filled, Cox said.

Considering this, in addition to the cut in state grants to the University this year, the increase in stress “is not a big mystery,” he added.

While programs such as Pitt Pathway attempt to get freshman on the right track toward academic success and emotional well-being, Cox pointed out that seniors who are entering the job market have fewer options.

Many seniors worry that they don’t have marketable skills, Cox said, adding that they should look at graduate school and take advantage of networking.

Before graduating, it’s important to do an internship as well, he said.

In terms of dealing with stress, Cox reminded all students that most anxieties and fears are “normal and appropriate” – as well as short-lived.

But if that isn’t the case, students should not hesitate to use support services, he added.

Even the simplest proactive approaches can help alleviate stress. A flier that Cox gives to stressed students declares that the top ways of “helping yourself” are getting exercise, discussing the stress with a friend, and making time for fun.