Fenomena Kesehatan Mental Mahasiswa Di Tahun 2025: Urgensi Help-Seeking Behavior Sebagai Strategi Adaptif

Abstract

The transition from late adolescence to early adulthood places university students in a vulnerable position toward psychological problems, including stress, anxiety, and depression. This study aims to explore the mental health phenomena among students in 2025 and to examine the urgency of help-seeking behavior as an adaptive strategy for addressing psychological difficulties. A descriptive phenomenological approach was employed, with data obtained from the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) assessments and documentation of student counseling sessions at the Student Advisory Center. The DASS results revealed relatively high proportions in the categories of severe to extremely severe stress, extremely severe anxiety, and moderate to extremely severe depression. Phenomenological data from counseling sessions further highlighted dominant issues faced by students, including academic pressure, interpersonal relationship challenges, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and suicidal ideation. Previous studies also indicate that students with a greater tendency toward help-seeking demonstrate higher resilience and better academic achievement. These findings affirm that help-seeking behavior should not be regarded as a sign of weakness, but rather as an adaptive form of self-regulation. The practical implications of this study underscore the importance of strengthening mental health literacy, enhancing lecturers’ sensitivity in detecting student distress, and providing accessible, stigma-free, and student-friendly counseling services.