Kennesaw State’s Mental Health Initiatives Aim to Combat National Trends

At 18, Moe Winograd left his family in Atlanta bound for Boston and the renowned New England Conservatory of Music.

On his own for the first time and with endless hours of practice trying to keep up with his peers, Winograd soon found himself suffering overwhelming stress and pressure to do well at one of the nation’s top music schools.

Soon, feelings of isolation and fear of failure left Winograd feeling he could no longer function or take care of himself. He tried drugs and alcohol to cope. But stress, anxiety and depression continued to push him closer to the edge. So, Winograd began planning to take his own life.

“The weight of all of that drove me to this dark place so quickly,” he said. “I felt like no one could help me, and I had nothing.”

Winograd’s story illustrates a familiar and troubling trend on college campuses across the country.

By nearly every metric, the mental health of college students is worsening. And while today’s students are more likely than previous generations to reach out for help, more than half say they haven’t. Meanwhile, surveys by college health organizations show some of the highest rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts ever recorded.