Journal of Psychiatry

Abstract

Developing a Mental Health Strategy for a Higher Education Institute: highlights and lowlights

Diane Phimister and Annette Dix

The number of first-year students arriving at university who
report a mental health condition is now five times what it was
10 years ago. There’s also been a trebling in the number of
students dropping out of university with mental health problems
(Bewick and Stallman 2018). In addition, there are growing
concerns about the mental health and well-being of academic
staff with some studies quoting as high as 55% of academics
experiencing symptoms including depression, sleeping
problems and cognitive impairment (Grove 2018). Worryingly,
the number of suicide deaths among UK students have also
risen by 56% from 2007 to 2016. In the 12 month period
ending July 2017, the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
recorded 95 student suicides, with students now being at
increased risk of suicide compared to young adults in the
general population. University staff are best placed to support
students experiencing mental health issues and therefore need
to be adequately equipped to respond to them effectively
(McAllister et al. 2014).
At Coventry University we recognise the challenges that both
staff and students are experiencing in managing well-being and
mental health and the impact this has had on the individual. Our
aspiration therefore is to work together to develop a culture in
which we focus upon peoples strengths, offer effective and
accessible support and facilitate the integration and embedding
of staff and student mental wellbeing across the institution. In
order to take a sustained and considered approach to this issue
we have developed a mental health strategy which underpins all
our work in this area. The development of the strategy had
some significant highlights and also some equally significant
low lights. This paper will share learning from that activity and
Provide a platform for other institutions to begin to build their
own strategy.