Student mental health; below the radar?

In 2011, the Royal College of Psychiatrists issued a report on the mental health of students in higher education. The report made recommendations for psychiatrists and the National Health Service, for Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and a broader category of ‘all sectors’. One of the challenges of working with this potential group of patients is that students may well live within the area of the university for around half the year and elsewhere for the other half. Organisationally, this can create additional problems when compared with those with a fixed address the year round. The report emphasises the importance of access to a dedicated student health service. Across the HEI sector there is a marked variability in terms of the organisation of such services. Indeed, there is a wide range of sometimes disparate bodies involved in the delivery of such services. The report recommends a closer linking of...

Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - January 9, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Towl, G. Tags: Editor's choice, General practice / family medicine, Suicide (psychiatry), Competing interests (ethics) Editorials Source Type: research