In the past year, students have had their schedules turned upside down, and looking after mental and emotional health during these times of uncertainty has become even more important than before.
Mental Health at University
Mind, a mental health charity in England and Wales, found that many young people first experience mental health problems at university. This is evidenced by student Robyn Hill, who studies creative writing at the Arts University Bournemouth, who experienced a student in the same accommodation as herself, unfortunately, taking her own life whilst at university due to the stress and massive workload.
Survey figures by a youth mental health charity, stem4, have shown that most young people aged between 13 and 21 “just want to be healthy and happy” (70%) and “have a stable job” (56%) with a minority preferring to earn more money (25%).
However, mental health difficulties, combined with a lack of confidence and fear of failure became the hindrance to young people achieving their ambitions. Over 18 months of lockdowns and restrictions have left four in ten (42%) young people lacking confidence. A further 27% say that they feel anxious, fearful, or worried, 18% say they are sad or in low moods, 15% say they feel lonely and 13% of them feeling overwhelmed by the recent events.
Rising Demand
The demand for mental health services is rising higher than ever before. Rethink Mental Illness has seen a 703% increase in people seeking information about anxiety alone.
Currently, there is a gap between young people who need help and the people offering the help. The lack of information and education as well as resources being shared in universities can lead to more people not knowing that they need or can receive help.
Furthermore, the rising number of students following a leap in top A-level marks has propelled the growing demand for places in universities. While rising enrolments would expect to bring in more tuition fees as revenue, Debra Humphris, vice-chancellor of the University of Brighton warned that universities would still struggle on tighter budgets. Universities would need to recruit additional staff as well as expand their mental health facilities to facilitate the influx of students which could cost a rough estimate of £4m, as estimated by one high-ranking university.
With restrictions easing and universities shifting back to the norm of face-to-face teaching, students may find it difficult to adapt to pre-Covid situations due to their lack of confidence and fear of failure; a result of the months in isolation in the past year.
Powered by Mynurva
Mynurva has partnered with the University of Glasgow – one of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities – to deliver mental health therapy to its 29,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students; during the mental health crisis in September 2020, Mynurva provided digital mental health care to students who faced lockdown and isolation as Coronavirus cases escalated on campus.
Supporting students and providing the right help at the right time can be particularly challenging for universities with large international student populations and Erasmus+ students living overseas as part of their degrees.
As a digital healthcare solution, Mynurva can deliver a same-day mental health and wellbeing service when it’s needed, delivered by UK-based professional therapists. We are ready to help other universities provide the support they need for any students suffering from a mental health crisis.
