Making Student Mental Health A Priority

"Uni is supposed to be fun and exciting. As exciting as it sounds, it can be extremely overwhelming for a lot of students. "

I wake up every morning feeling extremely exhausted. I have been eating and sleeping excessively but it is still a lot of effort to just get out of bed. Just pushing through the day and existing feels like so much effort. I don’t want today to start. I don’t want to be awake. I just want to keep staring at the ceiling.?

Somehow, I push myself out of the bed and drag myself to the Uni. Looking at everyone doesn’t make it any easier. I can’t wait for the class to end so that I can be alone. It feels like I am just moving through each day without experiencing it and I feel numb to all positive feelings. All I feel is pain and inadequacy of my own senses.?

Life was easier when I was closer to my family. Or was it? I really don’t know. I have everything anyone could ask for, but why am I so ungrateful? It feels like I am constantly struggling and am still drowning. I can’t breathe, I don’t know why. Talking to people seems like a good idea but what would I tell them? What would I tell them when I myself don’t understand what’s happening with me.?

After a whole day of masking my feelings, I come back to my room and I order take away. I look at myself in the mirror, feeling guilty of all the extra carbs I’ve been eating for weeks. I walk closer to the mirror and look at myself and I see that I am flawed, imperfect and unhappy. Something hits my brain, tears start flowing, I don’t understand what is going on with me. All I know is that there is a lot of pain in my heart. I cry inconsolably, wishing I had someone who understood.?

At this moment, I just don’t want to exist. I want to disappear from everywhere. Then my phone rings, pulling me back to reality. I eat my food (A lot more than I used to before) and go to bed, ready to disappear from the day but the tears don’t stop flowing. I toss and turn and stay awake for the most part of the night and somehow fall asleep. The next morning, the cycle repeats.?

?— Susan Smith (Name Changed), 30 Y

• Does it happen to everyone? Or am I overthinking? They say to distract myself and focus on the good parts. But I don’t have any mental calories to dedicate to anything else. Will I ever feel happy again? Is something wrong with me?
• They say that this is the ‘time of my life'. But why does it feel like the worst time so far??
• Did I just totally forget about the submission deadline? What is happening to me?

My boyfriend thinks that panic attacks are not real and that I just want the attention

• I just don’t want to talk to anyone about it. What if they think that I am weak?
• I feel anxious when I am around people and I am missing out on so many social activities out there. It feels like I am defective somehow and everything is my fault.?
• Why am I up all night crying? I miss home, I am not sure I want to be here
• I am not able to focus on anything. Why is my memory so bad suddenly?

These are just a few thoughts that haunt students on a regular basis. For many students, university life is a way to discover themselves and have experiences that define how they see the world in the future. Unlike school, in university, you are left to your own devices and no one tells you what to do and how to do it.?

Uni is supposed to be fun and exciting. As exciting as it sounds, it can be extremely overwhelming for a lot of students. Though uni students come from diverse backgrounds and have different plans for their future, many of them go through similar mental health issues during their time at the university. Many students have to even skip classes or defer their terms because of their mental health issues.?

Did you know that 64% of young adults who are no longer in college are not attending college because of a mental-health-related reason?

University life is a huge change for most students. Pandemic being one of the key aspects that majorly impacted the mental health of young adults, there are so many other external factors including moving countries, financial issues, relationship issues, bullying, identity crisis etc., that cause depression in students.?

Mental health issues in students present themselves in many forms. A few of very commonly experienced mental health issues among uni students are:

• Anxiety — Many students experience anxiety because of factors like academic pressure, concerns about future employability, managing transition to university, bullying etc.?

When asked about how they felt over the previous two weeks, 37% of first year students showed moderate to severe symptoms of depression and 39% showed signs of likely having some form of?anxiety .

• Depression — Depression is another very common issue that students from different age groups face. Depression can be caused because of various reasons. One of the downsides of depression is that students experience issues with their short-term memory and it can negatively affect their ability to focus on work or other tasks, make decisions, or think clearly.?
• Eating Disorders — Eating disorder is an underrated yet very common issue that most students fail to recognize. Students affected by this tend to either eat very little or overeat. The most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia.

Between 10 and 20% of women and 4 to 10% of men in college suffer from an eating disorder, and rates are on the?rise.

When students are extremely stressed and feel the need to control their surroundings they channel it through restricting food or working out more than required or stress-eating and have issues with their body weight.?

• Suicidal Thoughts — Another common but underrated issue that students face is suicidal thoughts. Students going through stressful events in life and experiencing depression are said to be at a higher risk.?

It is important to understand that students who think of harming themselves want to live but fail to alternatives to their problems. There can be many reasons for feeling suicidal including a family history of mental disorder, substance abuse etc.

In a recent national survey, 10.3% of college students reported that they seriously considered suicide in the past 12?months.?

It is important to build a safe space for students where they feel safe talking about what they are going through.?

Though these issues are being spoken about to spread awareness and minimize mental health issues among students, at least 72% of students are living with a mental health condition have experienced a mental health crisis on campus.?

To understand the preferences of university students, a student mental health awareness survey was conducted and a few highlights are mentioned below.

The Stigma: Though most universities have resources to offer support to students who go through mental health issues, due to the stigma around mental health, many students do not seek help when they need it. A lot of students fail to acknowledge the existence of mental health issues because of their own societal conditioning.?

Dr Raymond Hobbs, a physician consultant at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, says that “A lot of guys don’t want to admit they have this problem. They still see depression as a sign of weakness.”

Male students are affected more by the stigma around mental health because their peers see it as a sign of weakness.

Availability of resources: Many students don’t even know where to seek help. 42% of students responded in a mental health awareness survey that they didn't know where to seek help if they were struggling with a mental health issue.?

Despite having so many self-help apps at their disposal, many students still hesitate to seek help because they are concerned about their confidentiality. 80% of students responded that they’d be more comfortable being anonymous when addressing their mental health issues.?

Affordability: Another common reason for students not being open to seeking professional help for mental health issues is the affordability of regular therapy sessions.?

Once diagnosed with a mental health issue, it is important to regularly take multiple sessions to feel better. In some cases, the sessions might go on for months. Therapy sessions in the UK cost around 40￡ on average which is extremely high for students.

In the student mental health survey, 78% of students responded that they would seek mental health services if it was more affordable.?

How to support your peers?

One of the challenges with recognizing someone struggling with anxiety or depression is that they are used to hiding their emotions and putting on a mask. If you know someone who stopped doing something that loved to do and are constantly avoiding certain situations that previously didn't have an impact on them, they could possibly be struggling with anxiety or depression.

It could be extremely difficult to get them to talk because students experiencing mental health issues usually assume that no one would understand their struggle. They are scared of being misunderstood and ridiculed. If someone approaches you with their mental health issues, be kind and try to create a safe space for them.

Do not judge them, or blame them for any reason. Sometimes, the best help you can do is by listening to them without being judgemental and directing them towards the right resources and professional help. Remember that like all of us, they just need validation for the feelings and emotions they experience.

? Shaik Rohia Munavar