Student Mental Health Crisis In The UK: What Is True and What Is Not?

According to Oxford Living Dictionaries, the word crisis refers to a “time of intense difficulty or danger”. Consequently, everything that goes under the denomination of “crisis” will be understood as “really hard to fix”.

That is why speaking about a student mental health crisis in the UK is problematic. There should not be an invitation for the audience to split and debate, but facts and reasons on why over the past ten years there has been a fivefold increase in the number of students who disclose a mental illness to their institution.

Nevertheless, these statistics do not only show that the number of university students struggling with mental health issues has increased. It also shows that more students are likely to talk about their problems than they were ten years ago. According to Peter Eldrid, Student Counsellor at Brunel University London, the number of students who seek mental health support has doubled over the past decade. But he remarks this is not necessarily a bad sign:

“The stigma around mental health is slowly fading, which encourages young people to be more open about their emotions.” says Eldrid, adding: “If there is more mental health awareness, it is only normal more students will come to us the moment things begin to feel wrong.”

However, according to a study conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the number of students who find themselves unable to continue with their studies because of mental health issues has trebled in recent years. Statistics by HESA from 2009-10 recorded 380 students dropping out due to mental illness, whereas in 2014-15 the figures rose up to a record of 1,180 students.

If more students are searching for support, why is the number of mental health-related dropouts increasing?

The Guardian published an article on the matter in May of last year, stating that the rising rate had encouraged universities to improve their counselling services. A similar article by BBC news this month emphasised the importance of early intervention as a resource to reduce emotional distress levels among students. The vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham told the BBC that improvements could be made if universities staff “acted differently”.

Is this a matter of counselling services being insufficient, then?

On an Instagram poll, out of 150 students who were asked the question “When looking for mental health support, would you think of your university counselling services as your first option?” 85% gave a negative answer.

Peter Eldrid explains this behaviour, although progressively changing, is not uncommon. “It can be daunting for some students to come and talk about what is happening to them. Eye contact can be a problem for some, especially when they need to talk about something they feel ashamed of.”

Peter also admits the temporary nature of counselling can deter some students from choosing it as their first resource.

Universities cannot afford providing constant support, the maximum of sessions usually being between 5 and 7. This is only one of the challenges university counselling services must face, mainly due to lack of resources.

Peter Eldrid talks about university funding cuts and counselling services:

That said, counselling is not the only option university students can go for when they find themselves struggling with a mental illness. There are multiple charities, such as the Samaritans or Nightline, which offer students a listening service that is available over the phone, Skype, text, and face to face.

In the case of Nightline, it is students who pick up the phone on the other end of the line, which grants a peer-to-peer chain of support.

Grace Handley, former volunteer at Nightline, stresses how crucial it is that students know they can always ask for help, no matter how small their problems may look.

“Relationship problems, difficulties at home… these are things students feel they need to deal with on their own, but we are here so they know they’re not alone.”

Seeta Bhardwa, Student Editor at Times Higher Education, who has written multiple articles on university students’ mental health, warns about universities “sometimes being like a bubble”. She says: “If you’re feeling anxious constantly, that isn’t something good. But if everyone around you is showing the same symptoms, there is a risk of normalising it and it eventually turning into a bigger problem.”

Echoing Seeta’s words, 74% of students admitted on an Instagram poll that they considered feeling stressed, anxious or depressed as a “normal” part of being at university.

When asked where should we draw the line between regular stress and an actual mental health condition, Peter Eldrid offers a clear response: “Experiencing such symptoms in university is normal. But when these feelings begin to prevent a student from having a normal life, that’s when they should search help.”

When confronted with the question of whether or not we should be talking about a student mental health crisis, Peter and Seeta offer different perspectives.

Peter talks about broadening recruitment schemes. If higher education becomes more accessible for the mentally ill, the chance of suicide rate increasing is higher. Nevertheless, universities accepting students diagnosed with a mental health condition is hardly bad news.

Seeta, on the other hand, mentions social factors that affect students’ mental health, such as the unstable political scene or the ever-growing competition in the job market.