LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 27, 2022) — For more than 70 years, May has marked Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. 
As the world begins to heal from the grim realities of living through a global pandemic, which brought prolonged isolation and new levels of anxiety, Mental Health Awareness Month has a new level of importance. 
Recognized as a time to spread awareness on mental health issues, reduce the stigma, and provide support, education and advocacy for people struggling with mental health issues, May at the University of Kentucky is a time of reflection and action. 
According to a new national survey, the effects of the pandemic have fallen particularly hard on young people. Since 2020, anxiety and depression amongst college students is on the rise, with 47% of students screening positive for depression or anxiety, or both, and 66% of college students indicating feelings of isolation. 
The University of Kentucky understands the importance of its student’s mental health and works toward establishing foundational and proactive mental health and well-being initiatives. With these statistics in mind, the university is introducing five new mental health apps to the campus community. 
Those apps include: 
TogetherAll
Headspace
Kognito
Therapy Assistance Online (TAO)
WellTrack
“Our hope with these apps is that we put mental health resources, quite literally, in the palms of students for them to use them when the need arises,” said Corrine Williams, acting associate vice president for student wellbeing at UK. “We understand that there are a variety of barriers to accessing mental health resources for our students and these new partnerships are aimed at decreasing those obstacles and increasing student well-being.” 
In addition to apps, the university offers a number of mental resources through the UK Counseling Center (UKCC). Housed in the Office for Student Success, the UKCC offers groups, workshops and short-term counseling to support students’ growth and assist students with mental health, academic and/or other personal concerns that might interfere with academic performance or a sense of personal well-being while at UK.
To learn more about the UKCC and their services, click here. For more information on the Office for Student Success, visit their website.
The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for” three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Employers.”  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.

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