Mental disorders among students of threatening proportions

More than a quarter of all British students suffer from mental illness
More and more students are suffering from great stress and mental health problems. Especially mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety continue to increase. Often these complaints are so great that they make the performance of daily tasks impossible or at least enormously difficult. Researchers now found that more than a quarter of British students suffer from mental health problems.

The researchers found in their study that a large proportion of British students have mental health problems. More than a quarter (27 percent) of all students suffer from conditions such as depression or anxiety. Often, students are even affected by several of these disorders simultaneously. British market and polling agency YouGov has now published the results of its large survey of British students.

Many people are sure that students have a quiet life and are busy half the day partying and sleeping. However, a recent survey has found that more than a quarter of students suffer from mental illness. These are often caused by stress and pressure to perform. (Image: Drobot Dean / fotolia.com)

Women more often affected by mental health problems than men
YouGov's new survey illustrates the true magnitude of mental health issues at UK universities. In fact, more than a quarter of all students are affected by mental health problems. Female students (34 percent) seem to be more involved in mental illness than men (19 percent), the authors explain. So-called LGBT students (45 percent) also have a particularly high probability of suffering from mental health problems compared to heterosexual students (22 percent). LGBT (also called GLBT or LSBTTIQ) is an abbreviation from the English-speaking world. The letters stand for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.

Mental illness often influences the normal daily routine
For many students, the mental health problems are even so pronounced that they have problems carrying out their daily tasks, say the physicians. Nearly half (47 percent) of those affected reported having difficulty completing some of their normal daily routine tasks. In about four percent of respondents, the negative effects of mental illness were so severe that they could not perform even the simplest tasks.

Fears and depression are widespread among students
Depression and anxiety are by far the most common mental illness among students. People with mental health problems have 77 percent depression and 74 percent suffer from severe anxiety, the researchers explain. Many of these students are affected by both complaints. Seventy-four percent of students with anxiety also have problems with depression. Other common diseases include eating disorders (14 percent), followed by behavioral problems (5 percent) and learning disabilities (5 percent), the physicians add.

Stress and fear of failure plague many students
Unfortunately, anxiety and stress are commonplace among many students. However, these effects are often very hindering for the study and the normal life. Six out of ten students (63 percent) said that the stress they experience significantly affects their daily lives, the authors explain. In addition, 77 percent of all students report that they have great fears of general failure. One in five students suffers from such fears that anxiety affects every day of life, the experts explain.

The effects of anxiety and stress can have dire consequences. For example, there is scientific evidence that stress and pressure to perform lead to more and more suicides among students.

Main causes of stress during study
71 percent of students said that the main source of stress was studying. Another big problem is finding a job after graduation (39 percent). But the family (35 percent), relationships and part-time jobs (23 percent each) and problems with friends (22 percent) lead to stress, the authors write in their study.

Many students get professional help and advice
Good news is that nearly a fifth of students (18 percent) use the psychiatric service offered at UK universities. The satisfaction with this service is relatively high, say the doctors. Thirty percent of users said they saw the service as very helpful. Another 45 percent said that the counseling service was at least somewhat helpful.

Mental problems are no longer trivialized in this day and age
While in past times the severity of mental health problems has often been trivialized, this is no longer the case today, the researchers explain. The overwhelming majority of students (84 percent) accept mental illness as a serious illness. Many students are aware of mental illness and recognize it as a serious problem. So sufferers should be aware that their fellow students often know about the problems and fully accept them, say the doctors. More than half of all students (52 percent) knew between one and five people suffering from a mental illness. Only eight percent of the surveyed students said they did not know anyone with mental health problems. (As)