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Fighting the Brain: Mental Health Problems among Students in UK Universities

The Way Final Exam Pressure Is Affecting All Students in the UK.

By Maria Francisco

University life is often portrayed as a time of personal development, intellectual challenge, and social engagement. Nevertheless, underneath all this there is a severe problem with students’ mental health. Student mental health has become a pressing matter within universities across the United Kingdom due to increased academic pressures, financial constraints, and social difficulties.

Recent research has depicted an upsurge in the incidence of psychological illness among university students. Over 25% of students experience mental illnesses during their stay at institutions of higher learning. This shocking figure is indicative of enormous stress that affects students particularly as final exams approaches.

A Case Study: Emma

Emma, a second-year psychology student at Wolverhampton university has challenges that are faced by many other students. As her final exams approached, pressure started overwhelming Emma leading to tension and nervousness. To receive perfect grades, she tirelessly remained in library reading textbooks and lecture notes for many hours.

"Balancing my private life and the struggles of keeping up with all my work has literally driven me insane at this point” she shared during our interview. "The pressure is crazy and it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I've had to make sure I take as many breaks as I can, seek support from friends and family, and even meditate at times to manage my stress and anxiety."

She believed that it was an “endless cycle”.

Emma’s experience is not uncommon. Across the UK, students are similarly facing overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety. The pressure to succeed academically and fear of failure creates an environment ripe for mental health problems.

Mental and physical health of a student can be affected by this stress associated with exams. High levels of stress may cause mental disorders such as anxiety, depression among others. In addition, there may be physical symptoms like headaches, disturbed sleep or reduced immunity that result from stress. These symptoms can become crippling, influencing their academic life as well as general well-being.

The gravity of this issue is now well appreciated by universities and as a result, they are increasingly putting in place different measures to support the mental health of their student populations. There are many different solutions now in place such as counselling services, stress management seminars and campaigns for creating awareness about mental health. Despite such efforts, there is often more demand for mental health help than the available resources can provide, hence leaving some students with no assistance.

One innovation that bears promise is teaching university students about mental well-being as part of the curriculum. By enlightening the youths’ minds about psychological matters including resilience and coping strategies in times like this one when stress levels are high around them,

The tale of Emma along with other students I spoke to although upsetting also indicates the resilience and determination of many pupils. Academic pressure, however, is something students can withstand with proper care and guidance. It is important for universities to always remember that every student’s experience is different as they continue to tackle the mental health crisis. Tailored approaches that consider unique needs and circumstances will be necessary in creating a healthier educational environment.

Universities like Wolverhampton have said they want to guide people like Emma by prioritizing mental health and make sure support structures are in place so that they can succeed academically. The journey towards an improved student mental health is not easy but over time it becomes worth embarking on considering every student’s stake involved if at all anyone wants to have better results to show for it.

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