Should Universities Care About Students Mental Health?

With one out of four Students Mental Health issues while at university. With an alarming surge in rising numbers of student suicides, it is currently more significant than ever to discuss students’ mental health at university. We have to address and improve current practices, so as to satisfy the developing need for health and prosperity support for students, and to recognize the elements that are contributing to declining mental health in students.

A university is defined as ‘a high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees and academic research is done. With high study costs and expanding pressure to perform well in exams and assignments, there is a bounty of elements that may contribute to students’ poor mental health in university.

These incorporate, but are not constrained to social pressure, financial pressure, academic pressure, tight deadlines, and encountering new experiences, as well as living independently for the first time.

The most significant beginning stage is identifying at-risk students. There are various elements that can assist us in knowing who these students are, but these variables have to be adapted when working remotely.

Universities need to clarify what they can offer. Ensure academics and staff know about the mental health and well-being support available and of any changes that might have been made to that service in response to the emergency circumstances.

Finally, urge staff and lecturers to speak to someone for a debrief after dealing with an at-risk student. Make sure they know who to contact within the university’s student support services for a reassuring chat or email after they’ve made contact with students. Outside these conditions, staff and academics should have standard meetings for emotional help. Remember that if you’re not dealing with yourself, it will be exceptionally difficult to care for another person.

TUF and Mental Health Awareness

The goal of The University of Faisalabad is to support all of its students to live healthy lives in all aspects. The final aim isn’t just to concentrate on the physical and mental sicknesses of students but on helping them have a balanced and satisfying life. The more you take care of yourself the more you can succeed in academics. Every student needs to take choose to assume responsibility for their wellbeing.

Here are the following initiatives taken by The University of Faisalabad to address the mental health of their students.    

Students Mental Health

1) Increased Awareness from the Start

The University of Faisalabad along with orientation sessions on drug and liquor use, sexual violence prevention, other student health, and lifestyle, is giving extraordinary consideration towards mental health more directly. Many TUF colleges are starting to proactively impart mental health information to students during face-to-face orientation sessions.    

Approaches change from conventional presentations and board conversations to role-plays, short videos, and student testimonials followed by small group conversations.  Here, students figure out how to perceive mental illness side effects, where to discover resources and support, and how to converse with companions who may be battling.

At the University of Faisalabad, student feedback drove orientation coordinators to shift their concentration from expert speakers to student testimonials. This past fall, student actors read the stories of graduated class depicting their mental health difficulties and how they looked for help  

2) Free Mental Health Screenings                                          

The University of Faisalabad has realized its responsibility and encourage students to monitor their mental health in a similar way they monitor their physical health. To that end, TUF is normalizing mental health checkups by offering free, promptly available screenings for their students. This screening option is also available for the faculty, management, and senior administration of The University of Faisalabad.

3) Campus-Wide Courses, Programs, and Initiatives

Programs designed by psychologists and experts from Madinah Teaching Hospital (MTH), help students to better comprehend the feelings they are encountering (e.g., dread, tension, stress, bitterness), interface with a clinician who can supervise their progress, and take free self-improvement courses online (like “Coping with Stress,” “Intro to Mindfulness,” or “Managing Insomnia”).

As universities are likewise noticing a decrease in student resilience —the ability to recover from negative encounters—TUF recently launched an online trauma resilience training. The Student Resilience Project developers perceived that many students going to their university have encountered “significant family and network pressure” and that pressure can influence their learning.   

TUF is offerings several options including mindfulness workshops for new faculty and resident assistants; weekly yoga and mindfulness classes for students, faculty, and staff; and a curated collection of mindfulness and well-being resources at their university library.

 4) Talking About It

Counseling is the connection between two people where one encourages the other to comprehend the issues and problems they are confronting. The counselors at TUF differ from other sources (friends, family, etc) because of their expert training in psychology and human behavior.  They generally talk to students regarding personal, academic, and career issues.

Texting for help is another alternative. The University of Faisalabad offers a free messaging hotline for its students. This nonbenefit activity aims to provide students with choices if they are stressed over a specific companion, overwhelmed by academic stress themselves, or feeling desolate, discouraged, or self-destructive.

5) Well-Being Practices Woven Into Coursework

Apart from supporting peer-led efforts and other campus initiatives,, TUF instructors and professors encourage student prosperity by directly modelling preventive ways and coping skills in class

Educators are carving out a couple of moments toward the beginning of each class. Open by playing a concise guided mindfulness practice like this five-minute mindful breathing exercise. Faculty began every day with a “mindful moment” where students reoriented themselves to our classroom space.

During this ” nervous system reboot,” students kept up a straight yet relaxed pose and tied down their consideration on a sound, a body part, or their own breath. Their only instruction was to gently divert their attention to that anchor each time their mind wandered.

Final Thoughts

We can play a role as mental health advocates by talking more openly about mental health side effects, sharing accessible resources, consistently demonstrating rehearses that improves day by day prosperity, and effectively partaking in campus-wide advocacy efforts.

As many of these programs urge genuine and supportive discussions about mental health, let’s do our best to be available and pay attention. When young adults do open up and share, we need to do all we can to listen.