Department for Curriculum and Quality Enhancement

Personal Tutor Handbook - Student Support Services

Students with mental health problems

An increasing number of students are entering the University with some form of mental health difficulty.  The problems can be classed as a disability, where they are substantial and have an adverse effect on the students’ ability to carry out day-to-day activities.  At other times they will not count as a disability, but may nevertheless cause considerable personal distress and disturbance.  Students may arrive with a mental health disability declared on their UCAS form, although it is estimated that an equal number arrive with an undeclared pre-existing condition.  In addition, students may develop mental health problems while at University, or a relatively minor condition may become exacerbated by the transition to adulthood and the stresses and strains of university life. 

Many mental health problems are managed perfectly well by students, and will never come to your attention.  Others are, by their nature, likely to be disruptive.  As a Personal Tutor you may at times be unsure how to respond or what to do for the best, especially if someone presents in a way that alarms you or other students.  The mental health adviser can provide guidance about making an appropriate and helpful response, and can give you information on the sorts of support services available to the student.  Wherever possible it is best to talk about your concerns at an early stage, so that a crisis does not have to develop before something is done.  If the mental health adviser is away, the Counselling Service can often help.  If you do find yourself working with a student in a crisis, remember that the GP has overall responsibility for patient care. 

The mental health adviser is a mental health professional seconded from the NHS to the University for two and a half days per week.  S/he coordinates the provision of mental health support for students between the University and the Adult Mental Health Teams in Portsmouth.  Students are offered a face-to-face meeting in which they can talk about their situation and have a full mental health assessment and find out what help is available to them.  Students might want to see the mental health adviser if they are very depressed or anxious; are taking medication; have a history of mental health problems and want ongoing support; are thinking about harming themselves; or simply are uncertain of their state of mind.  They can also talk over any concerns they have about a third party.