Is prevention the best solution?
According to the Independent, the numbers of students arriving at university with an existing mental health condition is five times what it was ten years ago! Alongside this, there has also been a trebling of students dropping out of university during their first year due to mental health issues.
Considering the incredibly high levels of young people going on to be students after high school education, it only seems sensible that mental health should be a top priority amongst higher educational institutions.
Rising mental health concerns
Despite this, it remains clear that little is currently being done to combat the shocking levels of suicide at prominent UK universities- it appears that although universities have witnessed a sharp increase in the numbers of students applying for additional, mental support, the needs of these students are not necessarily being met correctly.
According to the Independent, there could be a number of reasons behind this. Firstly, the students might require extremely specialist treatment, something that universities simply cannot provide, with staff, after all, employed mainly for an educational teaching basis.
Secondly, referring students from university to hospitals is not always a straight forward process, according to the Independent, the NHS is not there solely for the treatment of students, and a failing and understaffed health service are finding it difficult to cope with the levels of referrals- meaning that students often fall through the gaps.
The importance of prevention
If students do not receive adequate help in good time, they could slip into a deterioration of mental health, one that many find it hard to come back from- therefore, it is important to identify the causes for mental health issues on campus, in a bid to prevent them from occurring in the first place- initiatives will not solve the issue completely, but will go towards helping students from dropping into the abyss of mental health to maybe falling through the net altogether.
Stressors of university life
Life at university can sometimes be both demanding and stressful, meaning that students are dropped into the chaos from day one.
Students may develop mental health conditions through the stress and discomfort of moving away from home for the first time, some may struggle with the new found independence whilst other students may find it stressful to manage their finances or hold down a part time job alongside their studies.
Anxiety can be triggered by huge lifestyle changes and circumstances of feeling overwhelmed- students tend to reduce their sleep time when they feel stressed, meaning that sleep deprivation can add to the feelings of loss and isolation- alongside staying up late in their own heads.
There are also plenty of features of university which, although fun, can turn into unhealthy coping mechanisms for young students, such as drugs and alcohol, emotional over eating, under eating or getting into dangerous situations whilst partying.
Solutions for student well-being
In order to tackle all of these circumstances which are known to cause mental health conditions, there needs to be a strong focus on health and well-being over student campuses.
University student counselling services are a great place to start, with many students stating that the service helped them during stressful times such as exams and starting university.
There are also plenty of practical things that can be done to help students. Universities should encourage and help students to follow healthy living tips, such as exercise, healthy eating and good sleeping habits.
Effective ways of management could be shutting libraries at night, to stop students from working till morning, offering advice on nutrition and organising low cost or free opportunities for physical exercise on campus, vending machines could also be void of energy drinks to stop students from relying on them for energy when they feel that they’re past the point of working anymore.
Raising awareness and accountability
A final way to ensure that young people are cared for during their studies would be to inform them of the mental health well-being services available at universities across the UK before the students start applying through UCAS.
By having a clear guide to how each university tackles mental health, students will be able to make a valued decision on the support they believe they might need during their studies.
Government initiatives
The government have plans to reward certain institutions for good practice of mental health services- hoping to make student mental health a top priority of higher education.
The initiative, which was proposed by Student Minds, will be put into practice by the UPP Foundation, the office for Students, the National Union of Students and Universities UK, to make sure that student mental health remains a priority.
Students are also being consulted more for the possible design of mental health services, encouraging a well-being connection between student bodies and the government, in a bid to tackle the mental health crisis currently happening across UK universities.
