A 2020 study initiated by the Universities South Africa (USAf) found that 16.3% of students met diagnostic criteria for a mood disorder in the 30 days prior to assessment while around 10% of students experienced a generalised anxiety disorder.
Around 21% of students reported clinically significant symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. The data was gathered from more than 70,000 undergraduate students at 17 South African tertiary education institutions.
Counselling psychologist at Stellenbosch University (SU) Charl Davids says students' mental health has reached a crisis point. They point to the volume of students seeking help to support this claim.
During 2022, Stellenbosch University hospitalised more students for severe anxiety and depression as well as substance abuse than in the previous three years. Two students also died by suicide.
Professor Teboho Moja (left), Clinical Professor of Higher Education at New York University (NYU) added that student mental health is a growing concern globally. Moja says that one in four students in the United States of America could be suffering from mental health issues which have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.
They add that younger students may be more vulnerable to mental health issues as they become adults and transition to university life which can be stressful.
Professor Jason Bantjes, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at SU believes it is important to correctly identify student mental health issues.
They explain that there is a tendency to frame any difficulties that students have in South Africa under the banner of mental health. While this broadens the conversation around student mental health, it could lead to normal developmental challenge being perceived as mental health challenges.
Mr Davids believes universities should create safe spaces where students can have conversations around mental health rather than psychological interventions.
“More conversations are needed between the universities and students for best practice guidelines as well as peer counselling and peer education programmes,” explained Davids.
Professor Moja believes that the stigma around mental health could be removed if universities provide the platform for this dialogue.
We have to help normalise it as we do other health issues. We need to allow students to take medical leave for a semester if they need to.
Professor Bantjes believes universities have the responsibility to step into the gap for students who cannot access care or treatment they require. However, this requires engagement around ethical issues and what universities can reasonably be expected to take responsibility for.
