Colleges step up to meet students’ unique mental-health needs

Mental health challenges have slowly evolved — and perhaps intensified — on college campuses over the past decade. 

Some attribute it to the isolation imposed on the world, and especially on young people, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Others believe the shift started years earlier with the proliferation of cell phones and social media that has left many students feeling alone and lacking in basic social interaction skills.

And even in prior eras, new students have faced unique challenges: being away from home for the first time, financial stress, pressure to succeed and social isolation. All of which can lead…