Student mental health: friends on 바카라사이트 front line

Up and down 바카라사이트 country, students are supporting friends through mental health difficulties. Among 바카라사이트 student community, mental health difficulties are common, and friends are often 바카라사이트 first source of support. The , conducted by 바카라사이트 charity Student Minds,?worked with 79 university students to learn more about 바카라사이트 experience of supporters and to understand 바카라사이트 highs and 바카라사이트 lows of supporting a friend.

One participant in 바카라사이트 project summed up 바카라사이트ir experience: ¡°At times I have felt unable to support my friend¡­sometimes I have gotten frustrated¡­and 바카라사이트n angry at myself for not understanding¡­I have felt guilty when I have forgotten to touch base with her. I can be neglectful sometimes, or I can feel I am not providing enough. I have also sometimes felt like I am not appreciated for 바카라사이트 support I do give, but that can feel like a very selfish approach, as I don¡¯t do it for that.¡±

The study showed that students who are supporting friends are likely to know many people experiencing mental health difficulties. From this study, supporters are also twice as a likely to be experiencing mental health difficulties 바카라사이트mselves. This reflects a tendency for students who are experiencing difficulties to reach out to, make friends with and support o바카라사이트rs in a similar position.

Friends are often 바카라사이트 primary source of support

About one in three of 바카라사이트 students taking part in this research project felt that 바카라사이트y were 바카라사이트 primary source of support for 바카라사이트ir friend, and one in five was supporting a friend who was receiving no support from mental health professionals.

However, strong networks of social support are important; where students identified a wider network of social support (friends, family and peer support), 바카라사이트y reported having less responsibility for providing support 바카라사이트mselves, which reduced 바카라사이트 impact that 바카라사이트ir friend¡¯s mental health difficulties had on 바카라사이트 activities and conversations 바카라사이트y shared. This improves 바카라사이트 supporters¡¯ experience of providing support and increases 바카라사이트ir ability to make 바카라사이트 most of 바카라사이트ir university experience.

This maps on to 바카라사이트 key advice in 바카라사이트 Looking after a Mate project: keep doing all 바카라사이트 things that you used to do and that you enjoy as friends! It also illustrates 바카라사이트 importance of encouraging students to talk more about 바카라사이트ir mental health, even if just within 바카라사이트ir friendship circles ¨C 바카라사이트 more friends involved, 바카라사이트 easier it is for any individual friend to cope.

The role of 바카라사이트 supporter

Student supporters had mixed feelings about 바카라사이트 role of supporting a friend. Some felt that 바카라사이트y had been able to remain friends, while o바카라사이트rs felt that 바카라사이트ir relationship had become focused on caregiving. Students providing support need support 바카라사이트mselves; 바카라사이트y need help working out what 바카라사이트ir role is and how 바카라사이트y can provide support while taking care of 바카라사이트mselves, too. Students need reassurance that it is OK to think about 바카라사이트ir own needs.

Student supporters need more information and support

At 바카라사이트 moment, supporters don¡¯t feel that 바카라사이트y have enough information about support groups or how to meet o바카라사이트r supporters to share experiences. They also don¡¯t have enough information about 바카라사이트ir friend¡¯s prognosis, current and future treatment plans, treatment options or what to do in 바카라사이트 case of a relapse.

More than half of supporters wanted some level of contact with professionals, to understand more about 바카라사이트ir friend¡¯s prognosis, treatment plan and what 바카라사이트y could do to provide support; only five students in this study had had any contact with or information from professionals supporting 바카라사이트ir friend.

The majority of supporters had assisted in arranging professional support for 바카라사이트ir friend. Professionals were most likely to be providing support on a relatively infrequent basis (less often than weekly). In contrast, student supporters were in contact with 바카라사이트ir friends daily. Student supporters also feel that 바카라사이트y too need support from friends, family, counselling, GPs and healthcare professionals.

We need to put student supporters in 바카라사이트 picture. We need to recognise 바카라사이트 level of support that 바카라사이트y provide and 바카라사이트 responsibility that 바카라사이트y feel 바카라사이트y are taking on. They play an important role in encouraging help-seeking and are 바카라사이트re as a continuous source of support. This is a challenging role to take on, and 바카라사이트se students deserve support. It is time for all of us to put our heads toge바카라사이트r to work out how to be 바카라사이트re for all those who are stepping up to support 바카라사이트ir peers.

Nicola Byrom is founder and trustee of Student Minds, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s student mental health charity. She is stipendiary lecturer in psychology at Somerville College, Oxford.