College Readiness: The Hidden Cost of Being Overmedicated with Joanna Lilley M.A., NCC
- Author
- Dr. Teralyn & Therapist Jenn
- Published
- Tue 15 Jul 2025
- Episode Link
- None
Mental health readiness is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of college preparation. While academic credentials and test scores dominate the conversation, students are rarely assessed for their emotional resilience and social readiness – the very skills that often determine their success.
Our conversation with Joanna Lilley, a therapeutic consultant who works exclusively with college-aged young adults, reveals a troubling pattern. Many students who excel academically find themselves overwhelmed by college life, sometimes withdrawing after just days or weeks. The culprit? A lack of preparation for the independence, social navigation, and emotional regulation college demands.
Parents play a crucial role in this readiness equation. The "helicopter" or "lawnmower" parenting styles that clear all obstacles from a child's path inadvertently prevent them from developing resilience. When these students face inevitable college challenges without their parents' intervention, they often crumble under pressure they've never learned to manage.
The COVID pandemic has exacerbated these issues, creating significant developmental gaps for students who spent their formative middle school years in isolation. Today's college freshmen missed critical opportunities to develop social skills during lockdowns, making campus life particularly challenging.
Perhaps most concerning is the over-medication of young adults. Many high-achieving students are prescribed multiple psychiatric medications to help them cope with academic pressure, creating additional risks when they mix medications with alcohol or discontinue them without supervision in college environments.
What determines success isn't academic capability but rather having experienced adversity and developed coping strategies. Students need balance, social skills, and the self-awareness to recognize when they need help. For many, taking a gap year might be the wisest decision, allowing time to develop emotional maturity before attempting college.
Ready to reassess what college readiness truly means? Listen now to understand how you can support genuine preparation that encompasses the whole person – not just their transcript.
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