Durban - Two KwaZulu-Natal universities have said they have seen an increase in the number of students seeking psychosocial help with issues including self-esteem, anxiety and depression.
The universities were commenting after Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande revealed recently that more than 14 000 tertiary students had reached out to the Department of Higher Education’s Higher Health programmes in the past year, in need of psychosocial support.
Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) director of student counselling, Dr Paulette Naidoo, said that while she did not have statistics, a large number of students had sought help.
“Some of the issues include family problems, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, anxiety and mood disorders, and psycho-social challenges affecting emotional well-being, eg. financial aid and accommodation difficulties.”
Naidoo added that MUT had a dedicated student counselling unit whose core function was to support student mental health and holistic well-being.
“The unit adopts a hybrid approach to service delivery, with both face-to-face and online counselling and psychotherapy sessions offered to students.”
She said the student counselling unit also had a group of trained peer helpers who conducted mental health psycho-education and awareness programmes at residences and on campus.
“This system works well in terms of raising awareness about the importance of student mental health and supporting resources that students can reach out to. Students are also provided with emergency helpline numbers that they can access 24 hours a day, in the event of a mental health or personal crises after hours,” Naidoo said.
Normah Zondo, the executive director for corporate relations at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said student mental health was an ongoing global concern.
“The Covid-19 pandemic foregrounded mental health presentations, with a rise in mental health symptoms for both day and residence students. Students reported difficulties in managing the pandemic restrictions, social disconnection and isolation, protracted and complicated grief, and loneliness.”
Zondo added that the unit had noted an increase in the demand for individual counselling for personal issues, as opposed to the pre-pandemic trends, with students also presenting with more complex mental health issues and a rise in the number of students presenting in crisis with suicidal ideation and intent, coupled with depressive symptoms.
“Students presenting in crisis with suicidal ideation and attempted suicide are a concern for UKZN, as with any higher education institution. The mental health response to Covid-19 has been prioritised by UKZN. A UKZN Health Committee Task Team on Mental Health was established to develop a framework and health promotion strategy to guide mental health services.”
She said UKZN student support services offered free, confidential and professional counselling services to students, and had developed targeted mental health intervention programmes to support the adjustment and transition of students during the pandemic and lockdown.