Produced by the National Health Universities Project this guidance package provides:background information, evidence and links to existing guidance for universities to promote mental wellbeing; general information on mental wellbeing as well as separate sections focussing on staff and student issue; suggestions on policy/procedures development, areas for consultation, potential internal/external partners to involve.

The main purpose of this report is to provide an update to a previous Royal College of Psychiatrists document, Mental Health of Students in Higher Education, published in 2003. Over the past decade, the demographics of the student population have undergone many changes that are of relevance to the provision of mental healthcare. The numbers of young people in higher education have expanded and they have become more socially and culturally diverse. There have been increasing numbers of students drawn from backgrounds with historically low rates of participation in higher education and growing numbers of international students. Social changes such as the withdrawal of financial support, higher rates of family breakdown and, more recently, economic recession are all having an impact on the well-being of students and other young people.

This document reflects on key issues concerning mental health and wellbeing promotion in the context of the updated report entitled ‘The Mental Health of Students in Higher Education’ (CR166), released by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) on 30th September 2011. It aims to expand on the concept of a ‘whole-university approach’ to wellbeing, some of the challenges with the implementation of the approach, and steps that can be taken. It proposes ways in which national stakeholders can establish coordination as a sector.

University life can be exciting for students, but can also engender frustration and isolation. Students with mental health problems may find it difficult to ask for help - appropriate services may be lacking and/or they may fear the stigma that can result from disclosure. For students on professional programmes, the need to prove oneself as ‘fit for practice' can be the source of additional stress. The development of appropriate values and attitudes requires a focus on the self. This can be an emotional journey, especially for students who are also users of services. This section of the mhhe site provides links to guidelines and publications; some examples of institutional policies; guidance on developing an inclusive curriculum, and on fitness to practice issues; event reports and links. It also contains a link to an annotated reading list.

Based in Toronto, the Mad Students Society (MSS) is a group organised for and run by students who have experienced the psychiatric system (known as psychiatric survivors and/or consumers). MSS was created to provide peer support, advocacy and self-empowerment for students experiencing mental health issues in post-secondary institutions and other centres of education such as adult education, and privately funded education institutions. Mad Students Society works to create a community to empower, support and mobilize students who are currently or may in the future experience the psychiatric system. As a group members support each other, share similar experiences, learn about their history as a community, build from each other's strengths, identify barriers in the education system and address systemic discrimination. This is an interesting model which, to my knowledge, has no precise counterpart within a UK context. It provides a model for thinking about how peer support for students experiencing mental distress might be facilitated. The link provided here is to the website for the group, which provides some information and contact details.