Mental health is:
‘….the emotional and spiritual resilience which allows us to enjoy life and survive pain and disappointment and sadness. It is a positive sense of well-being and an underlying belief in our own, and others’, dignity and worth.’ Mental health influences how we feel about ourselves and others, and how we interpret the events that happen to us. It affects our capacity to learn, communicate, form relationships, deal with change, transitions, life events etc.
Our physical and mental wellbeing are closely linked - the World Health Organisation acknowledges that 'there is no health without mental health'. Wellbeing, sometimes called positive mental health, is about how we are in the world, and in our own lives. It includes how we feel about ourselves and others and the things that happen to us, how we make and maintain relationships, how we learn, how we work and how we deal with the challenges life brings us.
You may wish to watch this e-learning video on the Mental Health Continuum. Mental health problems are disturbances in the way people think, feel, and behave. Mental health conditions may have an adverse effect on the persons ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
The types of mental health difficulties that students may experience include:
Mood disorders: Depression, Bipolar
Anxiety and stress disorders: Panic attacks, OCD, phobias
Psychotic illness including schizophrenia
Eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia
Personality disorders
Self harm
Dual diagnoses
IMPACT ON STUDIES & ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Consider the impact that mental health can have on a students’:
Emotions
Thought Processes and Cognition
Physical Symptoms
Behaviours
Ability to complete activities of daily living
Ability to focus on their academic studies
Ability to engage with peers, academic staff and make connections.