Mental Distress Survey

The National Union of Students has published the results of a research survey into mental health problems faced by higher education students.

1,200 higher education students completed the survey which was undertaken in May 2013. Key findings from the report include:

• 20 percent of those questioned considered themselves to have a mental health problem
• 13 percent of those questioned had suicidal thoughts
• 92 percent of respondents were identified as having had feelings of mental distress, which often included feeling down, stressed and de-motivated, with 74 percent experiencing this feeling once a month or more and one third suffering from this feeling every week
• 26 percent did not tell anyone about their feelings of mental distress, 58 percent told friends, 455 told family, 15 percent told a doctor or GP and only 21 percent of students shared their feelings of mental distress with their place of study and/or their students’ union
• 64 percent did not use any ‘formal’ services for advice/support in relation to their mental distress
• The main causes of mental distress were found to be course work for 65 percent of respondents, exams and study for 54 percent and financial difficulty for 47 percent
• More than 1 in 10 students surveyed had experienced suicidal thoughts during the time spent at their current place of study.

For further information visit www.nus.org.uk/Global/Campaigns/20130517%20Mental%20Distress%20Survey%20%20Overview.pdf.