Mental Health of Students

There is growing concern about the mental health of students at school and university, with many teachers, parents, and doctors claiming that they are being put under far too much pressure. It is easy for adults to forget just how stressful life can be for students. Adolescence is a complicated and uncertain time for anyone - it is a time when we learn about our limitations and potentials, and are hopefully able to accept the former, while striving to achieve the latter. The decisions and directions we take in our late teens and early twenties will very likely shape the courses of our lives; and during this time our abilities will be evaluated, scrutinised, and tested to a level that will likely be unequalled throughout the rest of our lives

It is little wonder, given these trials and pressures, that many students find themselves under a huge amount of stress. A new study has revealed the distressing fact that the suicide rate among students in the UK exceeds that of the general population of their age group. This study was conducted by researchers in Hong Kong (unsettling indeed that we need a former British colony thousands of miles away to reveal such disturbing information to us), and was conducted between 2007 and 2017.

The study is due to be presented at the International Suicide Prevention Conference in New Zealand next month - and directly contradicts the view that the suicide rate for students is lower than that of the general population.

The Office for National Statistics has cautioned against an overly pessimistic interpretation of these results, saying that `year-to-year differences could reflect change in the population of students across time as opposed to change in the risk of suicide`.

Both in the population, and amongst the student body, males have had a higher rate of suicide - but this new research shows a specific increase of female students taking their own lives. The Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, situated at Hong Kong University, has been declaring this growing trend for some time. Dr Raymond Kwok, who works at the centre has said:

`Between 2012 and 2016, there is a significant trend in rising suicides for UK female students, with the exception of those in Scotland.`

Publications from the centre have stated that, between 2007 and 2016, student suicide rates increased by 56% - that is from 6.6 to 10.3 per 100,000 of the population.

Sadly none of this information is particularly new or revelatory - there have been warning signs for many years that the mental health of the student population is showing a downward trend. In the academic year of 2015 - 2016 over 15000 students in the UK revealed that they suffered from mental health problems. The Institute of Public Policy Research analysis published this information last year - and when we compare it to the 2006 figure of a more modest (if that is the right term) 3000 students, it`s clear that this is a rapidly growing problem.

A 2009-10 IPPR study put the incidence of male and female students reporting mental health issues at about equal: 0.5%. The balance had radically shifted by 2015 however, with 2.5% of female students and 1.4% of male students reporting health issues. This shows that nearly double the amount of female students compared to their male counterparts are reporting mental health concerns - a worrying trend that concurs with Dr Kwok`s findings. The report explained its finding in clear terms:

`So while male students are three times more likely to disclose a mental health condition than they were 10 years ago, female students are five times more likely,`

The report also points out that because of imperfections in the way data is collected `the actual number of mental health disclosures is likely to be higher than described in this report`. This is almost certainly true, given the fact that the report only covers students who have voluntarily disclosed that they are afflicted. Indeed, the actual figures could be far higher; and given the recent cuts to the number of councillors at universities, many students might be unable to get support they need, even if they are brave enough to seek help.