Student Mental Health
There has never been a better time to think about student mental health. Mental health is a concern for all age groups, but those of university age are a particular concern. As the majority of mental health problems start before the age of 24, students are one age group that’s at a higher risk. Starting university is an exciting time for anyone, but it can also be stressful and daunting. Not only do individuals have to deal with the academic change that university brings, but also a brand new social life.
University is the time when many teenagers transition into adulthood and face unique concerns, such as the financial burden on furthering their studies and the responsibility of living out of home. Team that with social media pressures and potentially negative learning experiences, and it’s easy to see why many students are faced with mental health problems.
How Can Student Mental Health Be Helped?
Though student mental health has slowly become a main focus for the UK government, with a number of new measures having been introduced to help students make the transition, there is still more that can be done. It has been suggested that the government, the NHS and higher education institutions should be taking a more proactive role. For example, universities could adopt an approach to student mental health that is consistent throughout the entire school. Similarly, universities could seek out one of the many programmes out there that are currently available to help those with mental health concerns.
The common consensus is that universities should be doing more to help students, sooner rather than later. By helping students early, they can have a positive effect on mental health further down the line. There’s a possibility of avoiding a lot of the long term risks associated with mental health, if someone intervened early. It’s important that student mental health is treated as a legitimate concern, one that requires action and help from others.
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