Mental health referrals among Scots students triples

This number has increased by 247% from 2015, when 3,705 students disclosed such conditions. While the number of individuals reporting these issues in official forums remains low (around 5%of all students), a series of studies suggest the real number could be much higher. 

The ‘Thriving Learners’ report, released by the Mental Health Foundation in November 2021, states that one in four Scots between the ages of 16 and 24 suffer from mental health issues. 

The document reads: “It is estimated that 40% of higher education students experience a mental health problem during their first year of study and in a recent survey over 70% reported ‘concerns’ about their mental wellbeing.”

“Over 90% of Higher Education counselling services have reported an increase in demand for their services.”

72% of the survey’s 15,000 respondents were women, a figure which may speak to long-held social taboos about male mental health and vulnerability. 

The increase has placed university-run mental health services under the spotlight, and led to calls from campaigners for expanded support from the Scottish Government. 

Universities provide a range of mental health and wellness support for students, ranging from providing in-person counselling services, promoting healthy living and positive behaviours, creating online resources, and hosting ‘therapet’ sessions. Many institutions have adopted a ‘whole university’ approach, which seeks to improve the mental health and wellbeing of students, staff, and academics. 

‘AJ’, a recent anthropology graduate, shared her experiences accessing university-run services.

She said: “I had very good support from Student Support and empathetic lecturers. I attended the counselling service every few months, and met the university chaplain on a weekly basis."

‘Hannah’, a fourth year medic, added: “I had had a brief struggle with panic attacks and wanted to deal with it before it became a constant occurrence. The uni service was very encouraging and reassuring."

"The service was actually surprisingly helpful. I only went once but felt very welcomed to come back if I ever needed to."

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However, some students have had less positive experiences with their university’s mental health offerings. 

Eden, a fourth year arts school student, said: “The mental health service was lacklustre, disappointing, and impersonal."

"They provide support but unfortunately, in my experience, it is not personal enough… I requested to be counselled once every two weeks, they said no, and so I dropped the appointments all-together- and was only offered the request I made after I notified them I was no longer going to attend.” 

Eden added: "Being neurodivergent, I feel that mental health services in general don't know what to do with us or adapt to our needs.

"On a good note, the diagnostic services were quite efficient, and I would highly recommend anyone who suspects they may have a disability that affects their learning in any way to get tested through the uni.”

Data suggests that money worries are a primary stressor for students.

A report by the National Union of Students points to the impacts of “a lack of money and financial insecurity” on the “mental health and wellbeing” of students.

The review states: “37% of students worry about their finances all the time, and this proportion has increased since the beginning of 2022.”

Similarly, a survey of 1037 UK students, conducted by mental health charity Student Minds, found that 83% of students were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ concerned about the cost of living crisis, with 59% saying that managing their finances caused stress ‘often’ or ‘all of the time.’

The Thriving Minds report found that over a fifth of the students they spoke to feared going hungry at some point in the preceding 12 months, with “nearly a quarter (23.5%) eating less due to a lack of resources or money; and 7.2% residing in households that had run out of food.”

A spokesperson for Student Minds told The Herald that mental health conditions among students have increased since the Covid pandemic.

They said: "The mental health of university students has been significantly impacted over the past few years, with the coronavirus pandemic and the cost of living crisis in particular having negative effects for students. Loneliness amongst university students is a long-standing issue, but was exacerbated during lockdowns and the impacts of this continue to be felt by both current students and recent graduates.”

Mental health self referrals have increased (Image: Getty Images)

Data reviewed by The Herald shows that 9,115 students self-reported mental health conditions in 2019/20, the last intake before the Covid pandemic. The next year, 2020/21, 10,725 students disclosed conditions, an increase of 17.7%. This was followed by smaller increases of 8.7% in 2021/22 and 10.6% in 2022/23. 

The Scottish Government needs to do more to support university students, according to the spokesperson, who said: “We were pleased to see a Student Mental Health Action Plan from the Scottish Government published in September, and support goals to deliver early interventions and collaborative approaches between education and healthcare.

“We hope that the Action Plan will truly result in action on student mental health, rather than just further discussion of the issues. We also believe that a key determinant of student mental health is housing, which is not considered in the Action Plan. The Scottish Government must act to ensure all students have access to good quality, affordable housing during their studies."

In the aforementioned ‘Student Mental Health Action Plan’, published in September, the Scottish Government pledged to “strengthen partnerships” between universities and public health bodies.

“We commend the efforts already made by colleges and universities in promoting mental wellbeing and suicide prevention,” the report reads.

“These interventions, however, cannot offer comprehensive psychological, psychiatric, or acute treatments nor should they be expected to do so.

“We also acknowledge that other issues which affect student mental health and wellbeing, such as gender-based violence, will also require that institutions have in place support mechanisms and referral pathways to professionals.”

If you are struggling with your mental health, resources are available. Visit NHS Inform for more information.