The extent to which mental health problems have plighted society is slowly become more obvious. The world is finally become more aware of the intricacies of mental health and we are becoming more compassionate towards people suffering from diseases such as depression.
However, according to new statistics provided by the The Union of Students 1 in 3 students have suffered from some form of mental health problem at some point.
Surveys undertaken by the USI found that 38.4 % said that they experienced symptoms of anxiety, 29.9 % said they experienced some form of depression and 17.2% stress. 32.2 % said they had been formally diagnosed with a mental health problem.
The statistics are a stark reminder how much of a problem mental health is within our third level colleges. It is quite clear that a huge amount of work needs to be done to tackle these issues and to ensure that every student is looked after properly.
Student life can be extremely stressful with serious pressure to meet deadlines and succeed academically. It can also be quite a lonely time for some people and there can be social pressures as well. Meeting new people in lectures of 300 people can be difficult and this challenge can prove to be isolating.
It’s important that students have an outlet and someone to speak to when they need. It’s vital that there is more investment in mental health services and we need to work harder to ensure the health of our students.
If you are reading this and are finding third level life hard going, we’d encourage you to speak to someone you trust. There’s a number of helplines available that are there to help. There’s also several one to one or group counselling sessions available to anybody and you can find out more information here –
http://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/need-help-now/
Samaritans:
087 2 60 90 90
Aware:
1800 80 48 48
Pieta House.