Feeling the pressure? You’re not alone.
Results of a nation-wide student survey released this past June, reveals that approximately 90 per cent of university students have felt overwhelmed by the demands of university life, while over 50 per cent stated that they felt hopeless.
The survey, which was conducted by the American College Health Association, sheds light on the state of student mental health on university campuses across the country. A total of 34,000 students from 34 Canadian universities were surveyed, 803 of them being York students.
Furthermore, nearly 38 per cent of students said that at times, they felt too depressed to function, 56 per cent said that they felt overwhelming anxiety during school, and almost 10 per cent said that they had seriously considered suicide.
“Increased responsibilities, higher expectations, and financial difficulties can make students feel isolated.”
Haran Vijayanathan, coordinator of health education and promotion at the Centre for Student Community and Leadership Development at York, says it’s important for faculty, staff, and students to see that these numbers as significant.
“We hear from students regularly what they’re experiencing on campus, but these results reinforce the issue with actual numbers,” says Vijayanathan.
Vijayanathan attributes the high levels of stress and anxiety to the demands of post-secondary education.
“Most students have spent the past 12 to 13 years with the same group of students and familiar surroundings. When you enter university, you enter an entirely different world,” Vijayanathan says. He adds that increased responsibilities, higher expectations, and financial difficulties can make students feel isolated, which can further lead to depression.
The survey data was gathered and released by the Canadian Organization of University College Health with the purpose of addressing student mental health issues across Canada.
The organization’s president, Dr. Su-Ting Teo, told the Toronto Star that the level and breadth of student mental health distress is compelling, and shows that the issues surrounding student mental health are widespread across the country. Teo hopes that the results will be used to address student needs properly.
Vijayanathan says the university will use the results in order to provide proactive wellness tips for the York community. These tips will be used to help students to manage stress and anxiety, as well as increase resources such as help lines for those experiencing a mental health crisis.
He says that York’s mental health steering committee will also use those results as a way to increase dialogue by organizing symposiums for students on the topic of mental health.
Rameeza Ahmed
Assistant News Editor
