University Mental Health Day brings together the university community to make mental health a university-wide priority and create ongoing year-round change to the future of student mental health. It’s the national day for student mental health. Run jointly by Student Minds and UMHAN, Uni Mental Health Day encourages students and staff across the UK to run events and campaigns to promote awareness and support for students at universities to manage their wellbeing.
The campaign aims to empower all members of the university community to be active in supporting student mental health.
This Thursday 3rd March 2021 we decided to inspire conversations, take action and create change by interviewing one of our staff who graduated from university during the pandemic last year. Together we can get the nation talking about student mental health!
Interview
What did you study at university?
Psychology
How was your experience at university?
My experience was stressful, to be honest. Partly due to covid, partly due to a lack of support from the university.
Were you affected by any mental health issues whilst there? If yes, were you provided with support?
Stress was a big part of my university life, as it is with most students. There was a big lack of support/people you could speak to if you were struggling, especially when lectures and classes became virtual. We were provided with a personal academic tutor (PAT) in the first year but to be honest, he rarely replied to any of my emails. Staff would sometimes take weeks to reply, which made getting support, or extensions if necessary, almost impossible. This made it increasingly difficult to manage assignments as well as personal issues I was facing at the time, which caused me quite a lot of anxiety. There were a few staff members who were happy to offer support (when they were available).
What do you think could be done better to improve mental health at university?
I think that there was a huge lack of awareness of mental health while I was at university. For me, this was the first time experiencing anxiety to this extent which felt a bit abnormal. I think if universities took the time to tell students, and even staff, that mental health difficulties are normal and have allocated people to speak to when things feel a bit too much would be hugely beneficial. I know we have more education around this in schools now than we used to, but I think university age is strange anyway, wondering are we independent adults or are we not, where we’re trying to figure everything out without needing to ask for help. I think it would have helped to know that it is okay to ask for support, this doesn’t make us less independent. That support needs to be easily accessible and I think it would help if there were staff that were unrelated to the subjects who liaise with students regarding their mental health. (I’m not sure if that bit makes sense… I mean like people who are specifically there for students to seek support from. Staff who aren’t lecturers or tutors, so that it doesn’t feel like we’re just asking a teacher for help).
This interview acted as an eye-opener for us at Mid Kent Mind, something to spark a conversation of change and improve things for the better in the long run. The more we talk about these issues, the more light we can bring to them and push for change. This change will most likely take time, but it’ll be a welcome one at that, and any support we can give will only help further this cause.
Do you know someone at university who’s suffering from poor mental health? Could they benefit from some extra support?
If so Mid Kent Mind has several courses for both adults and young adults on mental health. To learn more, contact one of the e-mail addresses below or visit our homepage.
For general inquiries, email: mindhelp@midkentmind.org.uk
For training-related inquiries, email: training@midkentmind.org.uk
For community-related inquiries, email: community@midkentmind.org.uk
