This episode is rated a 4 (on my Serious Crime Scale). The COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of college students at very rapid rates. Not only were they navigating the physical health effects of COVID and how it impacted themselves and their loved ones, but they were also having to abruptly adjust to a completely digital world. Just imagine being forced to take courses like statistics and chemistry and molecular biology in a solely online format. They were also forced to move out of their dorms and off campus, not knowing when they would be able to return to their personal belongings and the only “collegiate” atmosphere they knew at the time. The changes and the uncertainty dramatically affected their mental health. For example, depression reported among college students increased by nearly 50% after the start of pandemic, and one in five students reported experiencing suicidal thoughts. The person we’re gonna talk about today in this episode, Dane Elkins, is one of these statistics. He was a college student studying at the University of California-Santa Cruz. But in the spring of 2020, 21-year-old Dane decided he couldn’t do it anymore. The world of online learning just wasn’t his thing. He found himself unable to concentrate on his studies and he became withdrawn and depressed. So, Dane moved home for a short time before he suddenly went missing. One day, he was talking to his family and the next, he was just gone. Listen to this week's episode to hear Dane's story.

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