Clinical Severity and the Mental Health Treatment Gap Among Nursing Students: Findings From the Healthy Minds Study.

BACKGROUND

Nursing students report high rates of psychological distress, but how their use of mental health treatment varies with symptom severity is unclear.

PURPOSE: To describe mental health symptom prevalence and treatment use among nursing students and examine the association between clinical severity and help-seeking.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of 2024 to 2025 Healthy Minds Study data from nursing students (N = 5817). Depression and anxiety were measured with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7; suicidality and past-year therapy were self-reported. χ2 tests and odds ratios assessed associations.

RESULTS

Overall, 64.4% screened positive for ≥1 mental health problem, but only 33.3% reported past-year therapy. Help-seeking rose with severity (odds ratio, 1.76 for major depression to 2.87 for suicide attempt; all P < .001), yet more than 40% reporting a suicide attempt received no care.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical severity alone does not ensure treatment; proactive, profession-sensitive strategies are needed.