The Bigger Picture: Mental Health at University

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 The Bigger Picture:

By Teodora Varga, Kiera Botes and Samantha Solidum

            University begins, and there’s so much going on. Countless events, your flatmates are inviting you for a night out, and there’s still reading left to do for tomorrow’s 9AM. Despite all of this, your mental health takes precedence. As many as one-fifth of undergraduate students struggle with mental health issues (Auerbach et al., 2016), and we can address this problem by making you aware of factors that might affect you personally. Through this, we can make your transition to university just that little bit smoother! We are going to address the bigger picture of mental health, including the impacts of sleep and alcohol on your mental wellbeing and the topic of depression.


Sleep
            One thing that students often neglect to fit into their schedule is adequate sleep. 70.6% of students reported getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night (Lund et al., 2010), when the recommended amount for young adults is actually between 7 and 9 hours (Hirshkowitz et al., 2015). Inadequate sleep has been associated with a myriad of mental health issues, so getting enough shut-eye is pretty important. It can improve mental health (Freeman et al., 2017; Scott et al., 2021) and even result in greater life satisfaction (Shin and Kim, 2018).


Short sleep duration was found to be associated with increased psychological problems in students, and sleep disturbances were positively related to anxiety and somatic problems (Milojevich and Lukowski, 2016). Other studies identified the presence of depression, anxiety and stress (Al-Khani et al., 2019), greater psychological distress like feeling hopeless or worthless (Glozier et al., 2010), and lower happiness scores in young adults (Otsuka et al., 2020). Short sleep impacts the limbic system, which is involved in emotion regulation - this could explain sleep’s effect on emotions (Astill et al., 2012). Maintaining good sleep is clearly essential for improved mental health, therefore, it should be high on your priority list when starting university.


Alcohol

        Naturally, as you make new friends and explore the university nightlife, you might spoil yourself to a drink or two. However, alcohol has been linked to severe mental health issues (Mäkelä et al., 2015).


Alcohol is a depressive substance known to dampen brain activity, affecting academic performance - meaning 2 to 4 drinks per day (Rehm, 2011) could lead to your hard work in A-levels being in vain. Research has found hazardous drinking is linked to symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress (Tembo et al., 2017). This comorbidity negatively impacts emotional development, further reinforcing this toll on students’ mental health (Appleton et al., 2018). Further research has additionally found that alcohol causes disruption to the genus of the corpus callosum resulting in visual or auditory impairment and mobility issues (Sullivan et al., 2010). Debilitating physical health can contribute to depression and anxiety, thus deflecting focus from studies.


          Transitioning to university can be difficult if poor drinking habits develop and continue. It is still important to have fun, and drinking can be a way to achieve this - but it's important not to do it excessively.
 

Depression

    When you start university, you are so focused on meeting new people and getting settled in your accommodation that illness may be the last thing on your mind. However, there may be more severe consequences to your first year than Freshers Flu – depression being one of the most common in universities, but most sneaky (Li et al., 2020).


Research has found that 75% of students can suffer from depression (Asif et al., 2020), so it is important to stay vigilant of your own behaviours, and also your fellow students. Contrary to what you may think, First Year students are more prone to depression than Second or Third years (Othieno et al., 2014), meaning it is important to take precautions as soon as you are unpacked and heading to your first lectures.

Depression is characterised by a loss of interest in daily activities, low self-esteem, less efficiency when working, and even losing sleep (unrelated to late nights out with friends, or late nights in to complete assignments!) (Martin et al., 2013; Shumye et al., 2019).  It is extremely important to seek help if you have any of these concerns, even if it is minor. Talking therapies like CBT or counselling sessions are good treatment options (David et al., 2018), especially for university students.


Such a big change in your life can come with a lot of stress and surprises, which take a mental toll. It’s crucial to take care of yourself because mental and physical health are equally vital for your wellbeing (Prince et al., 2007). 


You don’t have to go through this alone, so don't hesitate to reach out!

        ✓    Talk to friends and family

        ✓   Get in touch with your university’s wellbeing team

        ✓   Use online or call resources at https://www.samaritans.org/ or https://www.kooth.com/



(Illustrations: Teodora Varga)


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