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Student mental health and well-being: Overview and Future Directions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2020

M. Hill ,
N. Farrelly ,
C. Clarke  and
M. Cannon
M. Hill*
Affiliation:
Consultant Psychiatrist and University Lead for Student Mental Health and Wellbeing, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
N. Farrelly
Affiliation:
Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist, College Health Service, Trinity University College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
C. Clarke
Affiliation:
Senior Registrar in Psychiatry, Dublin North Mental Health Services, Dublin 9, Ireland
M. Cannon
Affiliation:
Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist Beaumont Hospital, and Professor of Youth Mental Health, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin 2, Ireland
*
*Address for correspondence: Michele Hill, Student Health Department, Consultant Psychiatrist and University Lead for Student Mental Health and Wellbeing, University College Cork, College Rd, Cork, Ireland. (Email: [email protected]).
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Abstract

The mental health of third-level students is of major societal concern with the gap between the demand for services and supports offered at crisis level. In Ireland, similar to elsewhere, colleges have responded to this need in vastly differing ways, with student counselling services available to all institutions, and student health departments and sessional psychiatry in some of the larger institutions, with none operating as a single multidisciplinary service. There is an increasing recognition for a more systematised approach, with the establishment of International Networks, Charters and Frameworks. These advocate for a whole institutional approach to student mental health, in addition to the development of an integrated system of supports with effective pathways to appropriate care. This paper, by members of the Youth and Student Special Interest Group of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, contextualises student mental health currently and describes future directions for this emerging field. It is a call to action to develop a structure that supports the needs of students with mental health problems across the full range of the spectrum from mild to severe.

Keywords

Studentwhole institution approachyouth mental health
Type
Perspective Piece
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 41 , Issue 2: Themed issue on Student Mental Health , June 2024 , pp. 259 - 266
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of College of Psychiatrists of Ireland

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