Health and wellbeing
Mental health
An increasing number of students at University are experiencing mental health difficulties that impact not only on their academic work, but also on all other aspects of their University life. Mental health difficulties not only have implications for the student involved, but often also for those around them such as friends, colleagues, staff and family.
It is acknowledged that supporting someone who is experiencing issues with their mental health can be difficult and challenging, and that people should not feel alone in such situations. If in doubt, there are services that you can contact for guidance and support in confidence.
It is important to acknowledge that mental health difficulties can present themselves in a wide variety of ways, depending upon the individual and the circumstances. What perhaps is most important, is to consider if possible, how a person seems in relation to how they usually are. Changes in people's mood and personality can provide important indicators as to how they are feeling. Unusual mood swings or social withdrawal might, for example, provide some indication that the person is experiencing some degree of emotional distress.
Essentially, it is difficult to define what is 'normal', other than to use an individual's usual behaviour as a point of comparison. Clearly it is not always possible to make such comparisons when dealing with someone for the first time or with little prior knowledge of them.