4th November 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
New data shows that one in five young people suffer from high levels of anxiety. The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, show that a rising number of young people aged between 16 and 24 experience high levels of depression and anxiety, with many reporting general unhappiness and concern about their health. The study examined the mental health and well-being of 7.5 million young people in the UK, and determined that a significant minority suffered from anxiety and mental health disorders. 21% of those involved in the study showed evidence of depression and anxiety, while statistics for younger people aged between 10 and 15 showed that one in eight suffer from mental health problems.
A particular trend revealed by the study was unhappiness amongst university students, leading to calls for more to be done to address mental health on campus. Problems cited in universities include poor diet and living standards, stress, isolation, ‘lad culture’ and a general lack of personal support for students. The vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham has said that universities across the country need to do more to address a growing mental health crisis in British universities. He said that whilst universities weren’t to be blamed for high levels of unhappiness amongst students, they needed to ensure that more support was available, including better use of personal tutors and buddy schemes, in addition to tackling ‘lad culture’ and binge drinking. The charity Anxiety UK has said that counselling services in universities and nationally are overstretched, meaning that students are not receiving the help they need.
Whilst the study revealed significant problems in British universities, the findings also revealed that more generally there is a slight upward trend in happiness amongst the 16-24 age group. Three quarters of participants said that they felt “happy” or “very happy”, with more people than last year saying that they felt satisfied with their lives. The most significant findings from the study are that many young people feel dissatisfied with their health, and that university students require more mental health support. Calls are now coming for the government to focus on health and well-being campaigns, in addition to the need for universities to prioritise students’ mental health.