Academics called in to support students with mental health issues as support service struggle to cope.

It is supposed to be an exciting time when new opportunities open up yet for many students their university days are a time of stress and difficulty.

In a 2016 survey by YouGov many of the students polled said they had experienced a mental health problem whilst at university, 63% said this had interfered with their daily lives and 71% cited the pressures of work as a cause. Amongst the problems commonly reported were depression and anxiety with 77% of the students questioned saying they had a fear of failure.

There was a distinct gender split in the reporting of stress and other mental health issues with 34% of females being willing to disclose compared to only 19% of males. This despite 84% of the students who took part in the survey accepting mental health problems are as serious those connected to physical health and 74% saying they would be sympathetic towards people living with mental health issues.

(Source: YouGov)

In the general population between 4% and 10% of people experience a mental health problem during their lifetime, with depression and anxiety being the most common. People taking time off with mental health conditions is responsible for a fifth of the working days lost in the UK.

(Source: The Mental Health Foundation)

This week a report written by Gareth Hughes and Dr Nichola Byrom for the charity Student Minds reveals that academic staff are increasingly having to step into the breach as support services struggle to cope.

The report finds that supporting students’ mental wellbeing is becoming an ‘inevitable part of the academic role’, however it is one that frequently goes unrecognised because the ‘higher education sector does not have the appropriate structures or cultures to assist students’.

Amongst the recommendations made in the report are for the establishment of clear procedures for academics to follow when supporting the mental wellbeing of their students, better training for academics and more investment in student support services.

(Source: Mental Health Today/Student Minds)

Speaking to Mental Health Today Rose Tressler, CEO of Student Minds said that it was ‘inevitable’ that students would to whoever they feel most comfortable with for support, and that the report ‘throws light on how academics are a vital part of the support available to students’.

The charity is working with property company Unite Students to engage the 50,000 students it provides accommodation for to stage a University Mental Health Day on 1st March. At which bit will promote the need for a better understanding of the challenges students face in relation to mental wellbeing and the importance of engaging in the community.

In a press statement Rose Tressler said ‘we know that community is key to mental wellbeing’, adding that being part of a community can ‘reduce isolation and open up pathways to accessing support’.

Attending university is without doubt a major transition in the lives of many young, and not so young, people. One that brings both opportunities and significant levels of stress, if the latter issue is not addressed adequately the consequences can be serious.

It is also without question that a combination of tight budgets and the often unconscious stigma associated with mental illness mean support services don’t always get the funding they need to be effective.

The report highlights, as Rose Tressler told Mental Health Today, the need for institutions to respond to this issue on a ‘strategic level through a whole university approach to student mental health and wellbeing’.