The Royal College of Psychiatrists has today
published a new report into the mental
health of students in higher education. The report calls for
more investment in mental health support for university students,
amid concerns that some students with mental health problems may be
missing out on the help they need.
According to the authors of the report, the
student population has changed enormously over the last decade.
Overall student numbers have grown, more students are entering
higher education from socially and culturally-diverse backgrounds,
and there are growing numbers of international students. Students
are also struggling with rising debt and fewer employment
opportunities – all of which may be impacting on their mental
health and well-being.
Dr John Callender, consultant psychiatrist and
chair of the working group that produced the report, said: “The
demand for counselling and mental health advisor services continues
to rise. Although there are some excellent support services for
students across the country, in many universities the provision of
services has not kept pace with expanding student numbers – leaving
existing services overstretched.”
A recent survey indicated that about 4% of
university students are seen by counsellors each year for a wide
range of emotional and psychological difficulties. And many
counsellors and mental health advisors in universities are
reporting increased demand from students for their services.
Dr Callender continued: “We know that
universities are facing large funding cuts. But it’s vital that
they continue to support student counselling and mental health
advisor roles. Academic success, physical health and psychological
well-being are closely linked, and institutions need to be aware of
the importance of looking after their students’ health.”
Dr Leonard Fagin, consultant psychiatrist and
a co-author of the report said: “There are concerns that
universities are programming cuts that will affect provision of
counselling and psychiatric services to students, preventing
effective early intervention. Likewise, cuts to mental health
services could also affect the provision of coordinated services to
young people known to them who are attending higher educational
institutions.”
The report states that the student population
is in some ways more vulnerable than other young people. First year
students have to adapt to new environments and ways of learning,
and the transition from home to university can be a difficult
period. Mature students in particular may find themselves isolated,
and in the university environment there can be significant peer
pressure to misuse alcohol and drugs. for serious mental illnesses
like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the peak age of onset is
during the university years, between age 18-25.
The report makes a series of key
recommendations, including:
- All higher education
institutions should have a formal mental health policy, and ensure
that training in the recognition of mental disorder and suicide
risk is offered to academic and other institutional staff who work
with students.
- Particular attention should
be paid to the needs of vulnerable groups of students, such as
international students and those with a history of mental
disorder.
- The ‘Healthy Universities’
network, which provides a whole university approach to promoting
health, is adopted as widely as possible.
- New, high-quality research
should be commissioned to determine the nature and prevalence of
mental disorders (including drug and alcohol use) in the UK student
population.
- Higher education
institutions and the NHS should work together more closely to
formulate local and national policies in relation to the mental
well-being of students.
- The departments of health in
the four UK countries establish special funding provision for
dedicated student health services provided by GPs. At present, the
ways in which general practice is funded in the UK leads to
substantially lower remuneration for GPs who work with student
populations, which could threaten the viability of these services
in future.
Eileen Smith, co-author of the report and Head
of Counselling at the University of Hertfordshire, said: “'Feedback
from students suggests that a timely counselling intervention can
enable improved academic performance and reduce drop-out rates,
thereby saving the waste of individual potential and universities'
resources. Mental health is not a minority issue: we all have minds
and emotions which affect our sense of ourselves, our ability to
make relationships, to work and to contribute to society. It is
only by promoting the mental health of all students and staff that
we can create a healthy university that is able to support its more
vulnerable members.”
Notes to editors
College Report CR166
Mental health of students in higher education is published
by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
For further information, please
contact:
Liz Leicester
or Deborah Hart in the Communications
Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127