Coming to college can be a perfect storm for a student. The environment and added pressures can bring to light a mental health problem or even make a pre-existing one worse, said Cassandra Nichols, licensed psychologist and director of Counseling and Testing Services.

However, the cost associated with getting help can also be a factor for some.

Outside a college environment, an initial visit to a counselor usually would cost upward between $200 and $300, and following visits cost around $80-$100. But students at WSU taking seven or more credits pay the university a $180 semester health fee that allows them to see counselors for free for an unlimited number of visits, Nichols said.

Counselors often see college students deal with adjustment issues, stress-related problems, and mood disorders. For most of these students it is their first time away from home, and the transition itself can be stressful — not to mention the added demands of school and finding their identity, said Bruce Wright, executive director for Health and Wellness Services.

However, students are still responsible to pay for their prescription medication. Even then insurance plans and prescriptions assistance programs cut the cost down.

Medications vary and can cost as little as $4 a month versus several hundred a month, Wright said. Students who need insurance can contact the billing and insurance office in room 133 of the Washington Building, where financial advisers help with concerns about paying for charges and discus payment options.

A Financial Assistance Program is also available for students who are eligible, and students should talk with their healthcare provider for more information on their individualized circumstances.

Not all students having difficulty adjusting to college life will be prescribed any medications. However, for mood and stress-related disorders a combination of medications and therapy have shown a good effect, Wright said.

When prescribed a medication, students always have a say about what they want to take. Health care providers will tell them of the benefits the medications will have, along with the cost and side effects, said Niels Nielsen, psychiatrist at Pullman Regional Hospital and Health and Wellness Services.

“It would be counterproductive to give them a medication for anxiety that would cost so much that it would then give them more anxiety,” he said.

To help, many providers prescribe the generic drug if available because of cost considerations. Generally, there is no difference in tolerability and effectiveness between the brand name drugs and the generic, Wright said.

Students with a family history of mental health problems can sometimes discover a mental health issue they may not have known about when adjusting to the college environment. The added pressures of university life combined with not having adequate coping skills can trigger these symptoms, Nichols said.

Being in an environment where this can go drastically wrong quickly is dangerous for a student. Having a healthy wide-spread support group as well as getting help early is important for a student with mental health issues, Nichols said.

It is very common that the first medication a student tries doesn’t work, so having those options is helpful, Nielsen said. Whether a student gets their medications through insurance or assistance programs, the ability to get a medication can make all the difference.