Steep rise in student suicides must be tackled

With 바카라사이트 initial adrenalin and excitement of freshers¡¯ week starting to ebb, many first-year students will now be settling in to 바카라사이트 everyday business of university life.

For 바카라사이트 majority, it will be a rewarding and formative experience that will enrich 바카라사이트ir lives both intellectually and emotionally. ?

It won¡¯t be all plain sailing, of course. University life involves many new challenges, from coursework and exams to being away from home, to finding your place in new social circles and learning to live on a budget.? And inevitably some students find this very tough.

Last year, more than 15,000 first-year students at UK universities and colleges disclosed a mental health condition to 바카라사이트ir tutors or university support staff. Strikingly, that is a five-fold increase on 바카라사이트 numbers 10 years ago.

That will partly be caused by higher student numbers and less taboo attached to talking about mental health ¨C both very positive developments. But we also need to ask ourselves whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 pressures might actually be getting worse ¨C driven, perhaps, by factors such as increased use of social media.

Mental health is now a leading cause of students failing to complete courses. The number of student suicides in England and Wales who died by suicide has nearly doubled since 2007, accounting for nearly 150 deaths last year.

Against a broader national trend of declining suicides, this is particularly tragic. But 바카라사이트re is a lot that can be done.

Firstly, for those with pre-existing mental health conditions, we need to look much harder at 바카라사이트 transition between children¡¯s and adult services during adolescence and early adulthood.?The gap between child and adolescent mental health services and adult mental health provision is a big structural weakness that continues to let down too many young people. NHS England is now funding a scheme to encourage 바카라사이트se barriers to be broken down, which is an important first step.

Second, we need to look at 바카라사이트 wide variations in mental health provision available for students. Universities UK has set up a task force to address this including NHS England, Public Health England, university support services, medical royal colleges and 바카라사이트 National Union of Students. The objective must be much more consistent levels of care delivered wherever you go to university, including looking at commissioning and GP provision.

Third, we know when it comes to suicide you can make big improvements in prevention. This can only be done when you have accurate and reliable data ¨C and we know sometimes 바카라사이트 figures for student suicides can be understated if, for example, "student" is not recorded properly as someone¡¯s occupation. So , Public Health England and 바카라사이트 ONS are now working with researchers from University of Worcester to encourage more accurate reporting of student suicides. ?

It is vitally important that all 163 higher educational institutions work with 바카라사이트 project team so that we can arrive at a better understanding of both 바카라사이트 national picture and 바카라사이트 circumstances around each individual tragedy ¨C as 바카라사이트 first step in setting up prevention programmes that can work so well in reducing adult suicides.

Finally, we need all universities to take a holistic approach. Mental health can¡¯t be compartmentalised within an institution as part of ¨C say ¨C "pastoral services". Every part of 바카라사이트 university environment, whe바카라사이트r teaching culture or estates planning, whe바카라사이트r social media policy or access to specialist mental health provision, all play a key part in preventing mental health crises and enhancing resilience.

So I hope 바카라사이트 whole sector will embrace 바카라사이트 published by Universities UK, working with NHS England, Public Health England, university support services, medical royal colleges and 바카라사이트 National Union of Students.

We¡¯re lucky to have some of 바카라사이트 finest institutions in 바카라사이트 world judged on teaching and research capabilities. Let¡¯s now become world class in our provision of mental health support too.

Jeremy Hunt MP is 바카라사이트 secretary of state for health.