How we are failing young talent and what we must do to save lives

Watching the Victoria Derbyshire show last week, about student suicides, was sobering. Some of the figures reported on student access to university mental health services were alarming.

The headlines:

• Female students are more than twice as likely to seek help as males. 
• Male students are committing suicide at more than twice the rate of females whilst studying. 
• There are now 5X more students with reported mental health issues than 10 years ago.

What worries me most is that these are the reported figures. The actual numbers struggling with their mental health will be higher. Most men feel they can't report their struggle, those that do reach out only at the point of crisis and many young women keep silent.

These figures consumed me for most of one day last week, so I decided to investigate further. I recalled the Milkround Candidate Compass Report 2019 was released only a few weeks ago by Stepstone and I hadn't taken the time to read it fully. 

What were their findings? Do they mirror some of these figures? What can they tell us about their underlying causes?

When asked, students cited a lack of confidence was their 3rd most likely barrier to a successful career (30% respondents). Their 5th most likely barrier was their mental health (18% respondents, page 11 of the report). 

But a whopping 34% of students report experiencing mental health issues during their time at university.

I accept that the anxieties that most young people carry around with them about the future will be a contributory factor here. Entering new environments, with new rules isn't easy.

The recommendations made by Stepstone included that employers must step up their work around their employer value proposition. One organisation that has stepped up is EY who committed to ensuring the well-being of their people’s mental health some time ago. EY now reports as many as 500 mental health first aiders in the business - https://go.ey.com/2OVl51f

What are the universities and central government doing to address the underlying issues? How are they working to support their students so that less struggle with their mental health?

As a mentor to University of Nottingham students, I have some exposure to the projects and discussions around student well-being. Each university is largely being left to their own devices when it comes to student support services. As the body of students at each institution is unique with their own identity borne of the culture, history and aspirations of the place, perhaps this is best. Some universities appear to be responding to the challenge better than others, with a significant increase in activities around mentoring and volunteering services.

I hope that two immediate steps are taken by education management professionals:

Universities and colleges

1. Step up and serve your students more holistically. Those first 6 weeks in your buildings are when students are at their most vulnerable. 
2. How can you keep a closer watch on the pulse of the student body during these weeks?
3. How much better might you warn students at the beginning of terms about the challenges of a new environment? How might you mitigate the impact of strong feelings when away from family and loved ones for the first time in their lives? Has mental health made it onto your fresher week program?
4. How easy do you make it for students to reach out?  Do they have to talk to an authority figure, or are there peer to peer services available?

Department of Education + ancillaries e.g. Education and Skills Funding Agency. 

1. It is time to listen and engage.
2. Don't just raise questions of your university and college members, get out there yourselves and meet the students, especially in those first few weeks of each new intake. 
3. Listen to your local contacts. Discover where they feel they need the most support, talk directly with the volunteering and careers departments, the student union and any local charities providing support. 

National campaigns help with raising awareness about some of the dangers around mental health, but they will contribute less to helping those who are suffering. It is the people present, when students are most vulnerable, who are best placed to help. 

Support them, save lives.

How many more have to die?

NB: These views are my own and not necessarily shared by any of the parties mentioned in the article.