In 2020/21, the total number of higher education students in the UK stood at 2.7 million, according to data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Further data from 2020/21 also notes that 122,530 higher education students in the UK reported a mental health condition, such as depression, schizophrenia, or anxiety disorder. However the exact number of higher education students with a mental health condition is unknown.
Studying at university/higher education can cause a number of challenges to student mental health and wellbeing. These challenges can be brought about, or influenced, by academic, social, and financial pressures. This in turn has been exacerbated in recent years with the unprecedented challenges brought about by the COVID pandemic.
University Mental Health Day on Thursday 3 March is a joint campaign by Student Minds and the University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN). It encourages universities, students, and the wider community to work together to improve the university experience; to make mental health a university-wide priority; and to help change the future of student mental health.
This University Mental Health Day, we encourage you to explore the learning opportunities available on our website, and to share with your networks.
We have gathered a range of FREE learning resources from leading academics, clinicians, and researchers to raise awareness.
We have also released a brand new membership available to full time Undergraduates, and those studying for a Masters full time. Join ACAMH today for just £5! For more details about this fantastic new membership, and full membership benefits visit: www.acamh.org/join-us
Resources
Podcasts
- Podcast – Student Mental Health and What CAMH Professionals Need to Know (TRIGGER WARNING: Please be aware that this podcast discusses personal experiences of self-harm and suicide.) Rhiannon Hawkins and Nathan Randles discuss student mental health and what CAMH professionals need to know.
- Podcast with Clara Faria ‘From University to Research: A Conversation with an Aspiring Academic Psychiatrist’
- Podcast with Dr. Thorhildur Halldórsdóttir ‘Adolescent well-being amid the COVID-19 pandemic’
- Podcast with Jessica Armitage ‘Positive Wellbeing and Resilience following Adolescent Victimisation’
- Podcast with Dr. Laelia Benoit ‘The Anxiety and Grief of the Ecological Crisis’
- Podcast with Professor Nick Allen ‘Emotional functioning in the transition from childhood to adolescence, and beyond’
Lectures, talks and discussions
- Recorded Lecture ‘How digital technologies affect adolescent psychological well-being and mental health’, with Dr. Amy Orben
- Recorded Webinar ‘Ecological Crisis and the Impact on Mental Health’ with Dr. Lise Van Susteren, Jennifer Uchendu, Dr. Laelia Benoit, Rhiannon Hawkins, André Tomlin, & Douglas Badenoch
- Recorded Webinar ‘Climate Change Impacting Mental Health’ with Professor Bernadka Dubicka, Professor Ann Sanson, Dr Emma Sciberras, Dr. Charles Le Feuvre, Dr. Julian Fernando, & Marco Bellemo
- Recorded Webinar ‘Hope and courage in the climate crisis’ with Professor Bernadka Dubicka, Professor Ann Sanson, Professor John Wiseman, Kirsten Hoffman, Rhiannon Hawkins, & Nathan Randles
Articles
- Young Insight ‘What CAMH Professionals Need to Know About Student Mental Health’ by Rhiannon Hawkins
- Young Insight ‘Conflating risk and mental illness’ by Anna
- Policy Review ‘Mental Health Act White Paper: potential implications for children and young people’ by Susan Walker, Bernadka Dubicka, and David Kingsley
- Blog ‘Young people’s help-seeking behaviours: dealing with their own versus a friend’s symptoms of poor mental health’ by Sofia Pimenta
- Blog ‘Yes, young people are concerned about climate change. But it can drive them to take action’ by Emma Sciberras and Julian Fernando
- Blog ‘LGBT adolescents, sexting, and consent’ by Anastasia Rousaki
Video Abstracts
- 5 min Video Abstract by Ahuti Das‐Friebel ‘Bedtime social media use, sleep, and affective wellbeing in young adults: an experience sampling study’
- 7 min Video Abstract by Dr. Maria Loades ‘Review: How has cognitive behaviour therapy been adapted for adolescents with comorbid depression and chronic illness? A scoping review’
Open Access papers from ACAMH journals
- Open Access JCPP Advances Original Article ‘The winding roads to adulthood: A twin study’. (2021) Rimfeld, K., Malanchini, M., Packer, A. E., Gidziela, A., Allegrini, A. G., et al.
- Open Access JCPP Advances Original Article ‘Positive wellbeing and resilience following adolescent victimisation: An exploration into protective factors across development’. (2021) Armitage, J. M., Wang, R. A., Davis, O. S. P., Collard, P., & Haworth, C. M. A.
- Open Access JCPP Advances Original Article ‘Well-being and COVID-19-related worries of German children and adolescents: A longitudinal study from pre-COVID to the end of lockdown in Spring 2020’. (2021) Vogel, M., Meigen, C., Sobek, C., Ober, P., Igel, U., et al.
- Open Access JCPP Original Article ‘Covid-19, social restrictions, and mental distress among young people: a UK longitudinal, population-based study’. (2022) Knowles, G., Gayer-Anderson, C., Turner, A., Dorn, L., Lam, J., et al.
- Open Access JCPP Original Article ‘Risk factors for nonfatal self-harm and suicide among adolescents: two nested case–control studies conducted in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink’. (2021) Cybulski, L., Ashcroft, D.M., Carr, M. J., Garg, S., Chew-Graham, C. A., Kapur, N., & Webb, R. T.
- Open Access JCPP Original Article ‘The longitudinal association between externalizing behavior and frontoamygdalar resting-state functional connectivity in late adolescence and young adulthood’. (2020) Thijssen, S., Collins, P. F., Weiss, H., & Luciana, M.
- Open Access JCPP Original Article ‘Aetiology of shame and its association with adolescent depression and anxiety: results from a prospective twin and sibling study’. (2021) Nikolić, M., Hannigan, L. J., Krebs, G., Sterne, A., Gregory, A. M., & Eley, T. C.
- Free to Read CAMH 2022 Special Issue ‘A scoping review of youth and young adults’ roles in natural disaster mitigation and response: considerations for youth wellbeing during a global ecological crisis’. (2021) Bessaha, M., Hayward, R. A., & Gatanas, K.
- Open Access CAMH Technology Matters ‘Using apps to address loneliness in adolescents and young adults – leveraging tech engagement among digital natives’. (2021) Ramo, D., & Lim, M. H.
- Open Access CAMH Debate ‘Behavioural addictions and technology use – risk and policy recommendations for problematic online gambling and gaming’. (2021) Kuss,D., & Sally Gainsbury, S.
- Open Access CAMH Review Article ‘Review: How has cognitive behaviour therapy been adapted for adolescents with comorbid depression and chronic illness? A scoping review’. (2020) Morey, A., & Loades, M. E.