By Aysha Sarah and Klara Woxström
Trigger warning: This article discusses sensitive topics such as depression and suicide.
Universities throughout the United Kingdom are experiencing an ongoing student mental health crisis. In 2020/21, more than 200,000 students in the United Kingdom sought support for their mental health, according to new research by the Labour Party.
On 6 October, Cambridge University launched a campaign, called Reach Out, urging struggling students to seek assistance, as the sixth student death this year is being investigated.
Reach Out was planned prior to the September passing of a medical student. His passing will be examined alongside the deaths of five other students who passed away between March and June.
Cambridge University has, prior to introducing this new service, come under heavy scrutiny for its ineffective student mental health services. The Reach Out campaign followed a review of mental health services at the university that began the previous year in response to a growing demand for additional support. Additionally, Cambridge University had opened an investigation after the death of five of its students since March 2022.
Meanwhile, researchers from the University of York have published a major new study that suggests Universal Basic Income (UBI) could assist in reversing the epidemic of mental health issues among young people in the United Kingdom.
Professor Pickett, researcher in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York said, “UBI would raise the income floor for a lot of people, reduce inequality and take away some of the sources of anxiety which young people particularly find so challenging. It would also save massively on costs to the NHS and other services.”
Additionally, the university has launched a new Institute of Mental Health Research to focus on developing more efficient and equitable mental health treatments to the number of people affected by mental illness and alleviate its impact on individuals, their families, and health services.
Two universities in Leicester, De Montfort University (DMU) and the University of Leicester, have opened “crisis cafés” to provide mental health services to students in “non-clinical” settings. The charity behind the initiative, Mental Health Matters, aims to open 25 cafés in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland that provide free mental health support to anyone aged 18 or older.
Other institutions such as Universities UK (UUK) have advised universities to contact key family members, caregivers, or friends if they have grave concerns about a student’s mental health, even without the student’s permission.
UUK has noted that although staff should make “every reasonable effort to secure consent,” there are circumstances in which “a university can and should share information with emergency services and with trusted contacts, even where they have not been able to secure consent.” According to the new guidance, students should register a “trusted contact” when they enrol in college.
Currently, the LSE has the Disability and Wellbeing service (DWS), which offers confidential advice and support to all students with diagnosed disabilities and also includes the LSE Counselling Service.
Recently, the LSE Counselling Service has prioritised counselling appointments for students who have experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault. This includes speaking with a safe contact and guiding the victim through the reporting process, if desired. Alongside these, other services include workshops, group sessions, and peer support programmes.
Amran Faysal, a second year LSE History student said, ‘‘My overall experience with [the Disability and Wellbeing Service] was less than satisfactory. I found that giving students a maximum of six sessions over twelve months isn’t enough to get to the root of most mental health issues. Although my counsellor was attentive to my problems, it simply wasn’t enough to uncover my deeper-rooted fears and self-limiting beliefs.’’
In April last year, an instagram account called @lsestressed was launched as an initiative for students to anonymously share their struggles with academia, LSE’s work culture and mental health-related experiences at the university. Many of the confessions point to mental health struggles and pressures faced by LSE students. One such confession from a student expresses how they are “fighting for [their] life finishing [their] degree” due to mental health issues and struggles at home.
The Beaver asked students what they think of the page. Maya*, a second year History student, commented, ‘‘LSE culture in general is just so overwhelming, it’s crazy to see all my friends at other universities who have much smaller workloads. Even though [@lsestressed] helped me realise I’m not alone, it’s clear the culture here is a systemic issue and needs to be addressed on a much larger scale.’’
*Names in this article were changed to preserve anonymity.
