They need 'extra support': University students, staff's mental health under spotlight after suicides & More Latest News Here – Up Jobs

• Two recent suicides at a Western Cape university have put student mental wellness under the spotlight again. 
• SADAG says for first-years in particular, the workload, and transition from school to university can be difficult.
• The mental health support group called for extra mental health support for students who need it.

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Two suicides at a Western Cape University have thrown the spotlight on the mental health challenges experienced by students and even staff. 

Stellenbosch University (SU) student Ky Rowe, 20, died on Tuesday at the Simonsberg men’s residence. Rowe apparently took his own life.

Another 20-year-old, second-year BSc chemistry student Siphokazi Ntozini, was found dead at the Heemstede women’s residence on 23 July. 

The university’s senior director of student affairs, Choice Makhetha, said the SU Centre for Student Counselling and Development is providing counselling for students and staff of the residence. She said the university has a 24-hour crisis service and urged students to make use of it.

“As a university community, we will be amplifying the support structures available to students and investigating where further support is required as a matter of urgency,” she said.

SA Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) operations manager Vanishaa Gordhan said students face a range of factors that could impact their mental health.

The transition from high school to a tertiary institution could be overwhelming, especially as they are leaving the support of their parents and teachers. In addition, the move to university often brings the added pressure of committing to a career path and, in some cases, struggling to fund their studies.

“Some students are coming from a rural area to a big city, or relocating to a different city, and are for the first time having to look after themselves,” Gordhan said.

“Their workload also increases dramatically between matric and first year, and they are having to adjust to online or hybrid learning at the same time.”

READ | Stellenbosch University mourns the loss of another student

But increased levels of depression and anxiety are not only found in students, stressed Gordhan.

Before the pandemic, SADAG’s helplines saw between 600 and 700 calls a day. This doubled in the first month of the pandemic, and today the organisation deals with between 2 500 and 3 000 calls a day.

“People are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and they’re not sure how to manage,” said Gordhan.

She said:

She also urged students to make use of student wellness services at universities, as well as the Higher Health helpline, which offers 24-hour services to students.

The results of a study initiated by Universities South Africa (USAf), with participation by 29 000 students at 19 universities, found the majority of students – around 80% – reported they felt fine.  

Funded by the South African Medical Health Research Council (SAMHRC), the SA Student Medical Health Survey aimed to quantify the extent of mental health problems among students, so it could help figure out more interventions. 

However, just under 20% self-reported poor mental health.

Major depressive disorder accounted for about 15.4% of those students, generalised anxiety disorder about 10.9%, panic disorder at 7.2% and bipolar spectrum disorder at 1.8%. 

According to USAf’s website, the 30-day prevalence of other mental health problems were related to attention difficulties (21%), drug abuse (5.1%), alcohol dependence (2.5%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (21%). 

The major causes of mental health problems were: Academic performance (75.8%), financial situation (73.5%), health of loved ones (50.1%), problems experienced by loved ones (48.1%), romantic relationships (46%), physical health (44.9%), relationship with family (43.7%), and interpersonal relationship with peers (32%). 

Researchers also found around 70% of students with mental health problems are not getting help.

READ | Mentorship: How a simple conversation can help reduce student dropout rates

The reasons range from not being able to afford therapy to worrying about stigma, to battling to find time and not realising that support is needed.

USAf reported that researcher Professor Jason Bantjes, with Dr Dan Steyn, pointed out anxiety disorders are consistently higher at historically white institutions.

Black African students, and those who identified as Asian or coloured, who attended historically white institutions, were at higher risk of mental illness compared to white students, possibly due to levels of alienation and marginalisation. 

The researchers also noted that some students arrive at university with pre-existing mental health conditions that could have developed in the final years of high school or matric.

Bantjes said in Belgium, students take a mental health assessment at registration, and it is used to offer support, if the student wants it. 

The study noted that pre-Covid pilot studies were conducted at Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town (UCT).

It found there was no significant increase in mental health issues, but at UCT, the rates of psychological distress was found to be high already by 2017, most probably due to the aftermath of the Fees Must Fall protests.

These protests led to universities being closed and campus life severely disrupted in a quest for fee-free education for students who came from poor households. 

The death by suicide of Wits University PHD candidate Philip Chuma earlier this year also highlighted the difficulties that some international students may face.

Chuma had reportedly been struggling to get his study permit renewed. 

In a seminar by USAf’s Higher Education, Learning and Management division, student success programme leader Birgit Schreiber said more could be done for students and staff and that silences and taboos around mental health must be shifted. 

In the seminar, Bantjes said some students might even feel embarrassed about looking for help, or may simply not have transport to get to therapy.

He said students should also be able to choose what kind of help they get – whether it be one on one therapy, help from peers, or even semi-guided web-based interventions.

He said group interventions worked particularly well during the isolation of Covid-19, and said these could still be run across campuses.

An app called Talk Campus has also proved to be popular with students who prefer internet based help, he said.

Dr Keagometse Morwe, from the University of Venda’s Department of Youth Studies, said studies show that what is happening in the country, also affects people’s mental health. 

She flagged poverty, inequality and unemployment as major contributors to how people feel.  

READ | Another student found dead in North West University residence

She explained that a university is a place of embracing different types of knowledge through research and innovation, but this also has side effects.

She said PhD students, for example, are under pressure to “publish or perish” and they don’t feel they can vent when they are overwhelmed.

For staff, being an academic is like a badge of honour, so they won’t complain or speak up if they feel filled with self-doubt or isolation.  

Morwe said South Africa has different types of traumas that shape who we are, and this is carried to how we relate to our environment.

Covid-19 also compounded existing stresses.

The bereavements experienced during Covid-19 and the lockdown meant people could not be with people when they needed it most, and could not even go to their places of worship for comfort. On top of that, university staff worried about how they would salvage the academic year. 

“I believe that what we go through shapes us, and what we go through is seen in how we relate and how we basically interact with others,” Morwe said.

She said in some quarters, there is a stigma about depression and denial that it exists, even by relatives and close family members of a person who feels depressed.

“I do speak about mental health issues with students, and with men, I tell them to cry. I tell them there is help within the university. You can always get help. There are people who are there for you,” said Morwe.

*SADAG helpline number: 24hr Helpline 0800 456 789.

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