The invisible problem? Improving students’ mental health

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esponsibilities, and a demanding academic programme is as distressing as it is exciting for many people. Today’s students are also under more pressure than ever to get a good degree to boost their prospects in a competitive economy. For most people, these stresses and challenges of student life will not directly ‘cause’ mental illness – but they can certainly affect emotional resilience and overall wellbeing in a way which leaves them more vulnerable to developing mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. So it is not surprising that mental illness is so common at universities. Universities, government and the NHS have a collective responsibility to rise to this challenge. It is crucial that we start more open conversations about mental health on campuses to break down the stigma, support students to build up their emotional resilience, and enable more people to seek support from counselling and other mental health services when things get tough. I welcome this report and its important recommendations, which should be treated as an urgent call to action by policymakers. University counselling services must be properly funded and signposted, with staff trained to spot the signs of mental health problems and direct students to the most appropriate support. Enabling students to be registered with a GP at home and at university would address an important lacuna in the current system. Finally, it is essential that universities collect robust data and review their existing mental health policies, so that services can be improved to meet the needs of all students. We shouldn’t expect anything less. 4 The invisible problem? Improving students’ mental health
Contents Acknowledgements 6 Executive Summary 7 1. What we know 10 2. Types of distress and disorder 16 3. Vulnerability factors 19 4. Factors affecting wellbeing 26 5. Challenges 31 6. What has been done already 34 7. Policy recommendations 38 Conclusion 53 Endnotes 54 www.hepi.ac.uk 5
Page 1 and 2: The invisible problem? Improving st
Page 3 and 4: Terminology Mental health and menta
Page 5: Foreword The Rt Hon. Norman Lamb MP
Page 9 and 10: Executive summary •• We might e
Page 11 and 12: •• Providing training on mental
Page 13 and 14: Mental, neurological and substance
Page 15 and 16: ecently completed counselling with
Page 17 and 18: of Reading found that, upon startin
Page 19 and 20: Mental and substance misuse disorde
Page 21 and 22: 3. Vulnerability factors A study by
Page 23 and 24: Moreover, some students are used to
Page 25 and 26: Rising living costs are a source of
Page 27 and 28: Students and waiting times A survey
Page 29 and 30: and doing things that I enjoyed, an
Page 31 and 32: Wellbeing, by accommodation type (2
Page 33 and 34: 5. Challenges Data such as the more
Page 35 and 36: Poor staffing ratios are also prese
Page 37 and 38: The MWBHE/UUK report notes 54 per c
Page 39 and 40: Leeds has demonstrated particularly
Page 41 and 42: i. Policy to aid transitions We rec
Page 43 and 44: The University of York have done ex
Page 45 and 46: Personal tutors in particular need
Page 47 and 48: How can you Respond to a Student Ex
Page 49 and 50: from the University of Bristol Stud
Page 51 and 52: A good example of a specific volunt
Page 53 and 54: across psychological disorders, lis
Page 55 and 56: Conclusion Mental health and even l
Page 57 and 58:
12 Karen McKenzie et al, ‘The eff
Page 59 and 60:
33 Lorraine Khan, Missed opportunit
Page 61 and 62:
58 The Samaritans, Facts and figure
Page 63 and 64:
80 Jonathan Neves and Nick Hillman,
Page 65 and 66:
Trustees Professor Sir Ivor Crewe (
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The invisible problem? Improving students’ mental health

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