4 A whole institution approach to supporting students with a mental health condition
This section brings the issues from the previous sections together to consider suggestions for a way forward to enable students with a mental health condition to continue studying successfully. Previous research identified academic teachers and teaching practices as well as student services and support as key to student success (Baik et al., 2019) .
Although the data outlined in the first section demonstrates a high prevalence of students with a mental health condition, Pereira et al. (2019) found that up to 50 per cent of students who identified as having mental health challenges did not declare them to their higher education instutions (HEIs). This was also a prevalent view among tutors interviewed in Simons and Macaulay’s (2025) study. Additionally, the mental health charity MIND (2022) found that 57 per cent of students surveyed reported poor mental health, while only 27 per cent had a diagnosed mental health condition. This suggests that strategies that are designed to support students with a mental health condition, such as being treated as an individual and providing individual support when needed, should be provided for all students, so that those students who have not declared or shared a mental health condition receive the appropriate support to enable them to continue to study. The most likely source of support for such students are academic staff. This places an onus on academic staff, among others, to have the necessary skills to provide such support.
Activity 4
Spear et al. (2021) surveyed academics across 135 UK universities.
Attempt to answer the following questions based on their findings.
a.
26%
b.
46%
c.
66%
d.
96%
The correct answer is d.
a.
81%
b.
51%
c.
31%
d.
21%
The correct answer is c.
Without minimising the contribution of staff support for students, Lister et al. (2021) argue that individualistic approaches alone are insufficient. Instead, they suggest universities adopt a holistic approach to mental health, providing the support that students with a mental health condition will benefit from to all students. In this way, there is widespread benefit, and the students who won’t declare their condition receive the support they need to continue studying.
Activity 5
Additionally, UCAS (2021) suggests a series of next steps to be taken by the sector to achieve the aim of fostering an environment of positive disclosure, where students can see the benefit of sharing their condition, so that everyone who can benefit from support is able to do so.
As you come to the end of this course, what next steps do you think should be put in place to help reframe students disclosing their mental health condition?
Discussion
You may have come up with the following:
- A cross-sector campaign to promote the benefits of declaring one’s mental health condition.
- Targeted action in areas where disclosure is low.
- Continued implementation of the Stepchange framework [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] and University Mental Health Charter.
- Student mental health to be central in admissions reform.
The Office for Students (UK) requires universities to make students with a mental health condition a top priority, suggesting they make changes throughout the whole curriculum starting with induction, as well as support services (Office for Students, 2020).