As finals approach, mental health services in the area are seeing increases in the number of students at their facilities.

"If things have built up, and people haven't come in beforehand, sometimes everything crashes down around finals," said Mary Anne Knapp, outreach and consultation coordinator for Penn State's Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Knapp said CAPS sees a significant number of patients during the semester, but students with anxiety or stress-related problems often come in because of the pressure to perform on finals.

She said the extra stress finals create can often lead to the manifestation of mental disorders in students who already have a genetic predisposition toward them. Students who have missed large portions of the semester because of other mental health issues also come in because of depression or embarrassment about returning after a prolonged absence, she said.

Knapp said CAPS sees about 2,500 students for more than one visit each year. She did not have statistics on the number of students seen during the last few weeks of the semester.

Brenda Fry, director of the Centre County CAN HELP crisis hotline, said more people have called the hotline recently. "We see an increase in calls from students both at the beginning of the semester and toward the end of the semester," she said.

Fry said that while the line specializes in mental health crises, it still receives a wide variety of calls.

"Lots of students call just for support ... we'll talk to anybody with any kind of emotional distress," she said.

Fry said the hotline fields about 600 calls per month and has received about 200 calls so far this semester from students.

The hotline's number is (800) 643-5432 and is available 24 hours a day.

Knapp said most students can be treated through CAPS, but in extreme cases, medication is an option. However, because finals are almost here, medication would not be a good option.

"Antidepressants take awhile to take effect, so it wouldn't be something they should start right now," Knapp said.

If students are extremely depressed or suicidal, hospitalization is an option at places such as the mental health unit at Mount Nittany Medical Center, Fry said. "Hospitalization is for an extreme situation where they are not functioning in their normal life at all," she said.

Patients can stay hospitalized anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, Knapp said. She said that less than 1 percent of students are hospitalized.

Knapp said students reduce stress by practicing diaphragm breathing, relaxation techniques and positive self-talk.

Amanda Tagala (senior-biobehavioral health) said she uses yoga to help reduce her stress level. "It really does help you relax," she said.

Sara Dubnoff (freshman-education) recommended calling Lion Support, a student help line, to talk to someone about stress. "It's a great service to call," she said.