Student Mental Health Services – Do They Work?

By Saam Hasan

One of the great shortcomings of human society is that we often realize the importance or essential nature of something only after suffering great harm because of our ignorance of it. The perfect example of that is mental health. In the past, mental health disorders were heavily stigmatized and those afflicted were denied proper medical support. Thankfully, we have now reached a point where society has come to acknowledge the true nature of mental health conditions, and is working towards helping those in need. However, one question still remains - how effective are these steps proving to be?

The importance of mental health is especially highlighted when considering students and higher education. Mental health services are an essential component of higher education institutions. University students often have to navigate a diverse set of life challenges that can take a severe toll on mental health. The transition from adolescence, where individuals generally are sheltered to varying degrees, to adulthood, a stage where one must take full responsibility for their lives, is never easy. For the sake of this piece, we are making a general assumption that students mostly fall under the 18-24 age group. This, of course, does not indicate that mental health services do not cater to mature students.

In a recent study published in the British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, data from four different UK universities were pooled to create a first of its kind, a national level dataset for student mental health statistics. On average, 8-10% of the total student population of these universities sought to obtain counselling and other similar services. Two key metrics, used by the counselling services to evaluate the nature, severity, and effectiveness of intervention for mental health concerns, were compared to identify important factors. The findings suggested that depression, anxiety, academic stress, and social anxiety were the biggest concerns for students. Among those, academic stress was pointed out as the single biggest contributing factor according to one of the metrics. The data also suggests a marked increase of distress levels among students, as compared to data from earlier studies.

There were, however, some positives coming out of this study. The measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention programs were generally indicative of a positive impact on the students. Overall, the services brought about a measurable improvement in the mental health metrics of the students who availed[4] them. It should be noted that the authors recommended caution when interpreting the results as there were a variety of factors that could have been at play. But their general belief (backed up by the data), was that these services were effective.

There are three main takeaways from this study: 1) Most important of all, the authors found evidence of the effectiveness of the mental health services and their positive impact on the students, 2) Because of the intensity of the social pressure we face as students, it is more important than ever to be proactive about protecting our mental health, and 2) it is vital that we seek mental health services when we need them. Moreover, and as discussed in detail by the authors, the negative impact academic stress has on students is something that needs immediate attention. It has become imperative that educational institutions take this into account when planning their curriculum and assessment methods, as well as when establishing mental health services for their students . To go back to the original question of whether student mental health services work or not, the appropriate answer would be: under correct and timely implementation, yes, they do work. Of course, this only means that it is more important than ever to continue to invest in these support systems, for a better future for both students and society, in general.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this piece by the author are their own – they do not and are not intended to represent the beliefs and opinions of Plymouth University, University of Plymouth Student Union or the Plymouth Gazette.

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