The Commons Petitions Committee has published the results of a survey on experiences of mental health support at university.
(TW: Suicide, depression, mental health)
86 per cent of current students said they had suffered with poor mental health at university. Just 1 per cent said their university was “very supportive” of their mental health, 40 per cent said that their university was “unsupportive” or “very unsupportive”, and 67 per cent said they would feel “uncomfortable” or “very uncomfortable” discussing their mental health with their academic supervisor or tutor.
63 per cent of current and 85 per cent of former students said their university did not offer – or they weren’t sure if it offered – a mentoring scheme. 38 per cent of current and 87 per cent of former students said their university did not offer – or they weren’t sure if it offered – study skills training.
35 per cent of current and 80 per cent of former students said their university did not offer – or they weren’t sure if it offered – arrangements to accommodate the needs of students with poor mental health (e.g. deadline extensions). And 20 per cent of current and 64 per cent of former students said their university did not offer – or they weren’t sure if it offered – a disability support service.
