Studying successfully with a mental health diagnosis

Are mental health difficulties affecting your ability to study effectively or at all? You’re not alone. 57% of respondents in a Student Mind’s survey self-reported a mental health issue, with 27% having a diagnosed mental health condition.

Dealing with the effects of psychological conditions is not easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. With the right approach and support system, studying successfully with a mental health diagnosis won’t need to stand in the way of achieving your goals.

What support is in place for students with a mental health diagnosis?

Before you can make a plan of action to assist your studying requirements, it’s important to know what your college or university offers to aid those with a mental health diagnosis.

Disability Advisory and Support Services

Also known as DASS. your college or university may have a disability support service that can help you with health issues affecting your studies.

They may be able to:

• Arrange specific adjustments and/or requirements for your assessments or exams, for example, extra time to complete exams or coursework

• Provide specific study skills training to help cope with stress and exam pressure

Disabled Students’ Allowance

The DSA is additional funding for students with disabilities, long-term health conditions, or specific learning difficulties, and it helps to cover the extra costs of studying at a further and higher education.

Although this is not a service offered by a college or university specifically, you can apply for DSA through your student finance account. It will appear in your ‘to-do list’ if you chose DSA in your application for other support. If it is not, select ‘change your circumstances’ to apply.

If you do not have student finance or do not require one, you’ll need to download the relevant DSA1 for the academic year you’ll be studying. It takes roughly six weeks to find out if your application is successful, and up to 14 weeks to receive your DSA support.

College and university counselling services

Most colleges and universities will have a student counselling department. They are there to support students who require mental health support, so it’s beneficial to seek this out, whether you have a diagnosis for a mental health condition or not.

Student assistance programme

If you are unable to access counselling services on campus, your institution may provide students access to a student assistance programme (SAP). This service allows students to call up and gain access to counselling and mental health services for any issues they’re having. With it being a support system specifically for students, our counsellors really know their stuff when it comes to student matters and can equip students with the right tools to support themselves during their studies.

Academic support

Your university or college tutor will be able to provide information on where to seek support and/or advice. Many will be proactive in ensuring they meet with students regularly to check-in and ensure they’re getting the support they need. Be sure to talk to your tutor as soon as you can, as they can help ensure that the right support is in place.

GP support

If you haven’t already done so, your GP will be able to help signpost you to the support you need or run specific tests and/or prescribe medications related to your diagnosis.

What causes poor mental wellbeing among students?

Whether you’re a student that’s been diagnosed with a mental health condition or not, there are a variety of factors that can lead to poor mental wellbeing. Such as:

• Moving away from home

• Some may feel a need to ‘reinvent’ themselves away from home and feel pressure to ‘put themselves out there’

• Financial concerns – such as affording to live away from home and sustain a certain lifestyle

• Exam pressure

• Social anxieties – particularly if you feel you aren’t ‘clicking’ with other students and yearn for friends at home.

• Cultural differences – especially if you’re an international student

• Identifying as non-binary and/or non-cisgender

• Pre-existing mental health conditions

Neurodiverse conditions such as ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia Depression and anxiety oPersonality disorders such as BPD

Tips for students with a mental health diagnosis

It’s important to advocate for yourself and your needs as a student. Institutions must in turn also be receptive to student needs in order to accommodate them to make the best of student life and their studies.

Here are a few tips to help students with a mental health diagnosis

• Utilise resources that can support your diagnosed mental health condition

• Consider applying for DSA

• Prioritise your self-care

• Speak to peers and your tutors about the issues you’re facing

• Don’t hesitate to seek professional help from your student counselling service or SAP

How to look after your mental health?

1. Talk it out

When you feel able to, it may help speaking to your friends and family about your struggles. They don’t have to offer advice, as the act of simply verbalising your thoughts and feelings can be cathartic.

2. Create a routine

Even something small like making a cup of coffee at a set time of day, blocks of time for study and leisure, can make all the difference. After all, it can be tough when exams and deadlines are on the mind and time can feel like it all blurs into one. By creating the smallest of routines, you can make time for things to look forward to.

3. Get moving

Even just taking a slightly longer walk back to your student dorm, or putting on a low-intensity workout video can help get your body moving to release endorphins. If you’re not sure where to start. our Wisdom app provides an extensive library of various workout videos that vary in intensity and skill.

4. Eat a balanced diet

It can be easy to fall into quick unhealthy meals during times of stress that are further impacted by existing mental health conditions. Simply adding a portion of vegetables to a meal prep, or a display of healthy snacks within easy reach can work wonders in getting feel-good nutrients in the body.

5. Get enough sleep

While good sleep isn’t a cure all for an existing mental health condition, it can certainly help support your overall wellbeing. A survey found that 19% of university students in the UK had an average sleep time of less than five hours each night, and 46% of the participants rated their sleep as ‘fairly bad’ or ‘bad’. This can lead to worsening mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression and physical symptoms such as lethargy and poor concentration.

6. Use the SAP

Our student assistance programme is accessible 24/7, 365 days a year. If your thoughts are racing, or you’re having difficulty managing your mental health condition, our counsellors available at all hours for immediate support and can even schedule solution-focused therapy to help deal with the issues at hand.

7. Break tasks down into small steps

Whether it’s revision or getting your communal kitchen sorted, it’s important to break steps down to not overwhelm the mind. If your task is “clean the kitchen” – break this down further into washing the dishes, drying the dishes, putting the dishes away and so on and so forth. This makes tasks much easier to handle.

8. Make time for self-care

Amid exam season, it’s even more important to make time for self-care, particularly if you feel your mental wellbeing declining in any way. Take regular breaks from studying your material or completing coursework, schedule naps to replenish energy, watch an episode of your favourite shows, make your favourite snack or drink – anything that will help you feel better.

Start looking to the future

It can be easy to feel stuck in the feeling of exam stress. Often, it feels like the pressure is never ending, which is why it’s important to have goals in mind to help you focus on the future. It’s important to remember that:

• Feelings are temporary

• The exams and coursework will help better you towards your future goals

• There are other moments to look forward to after the stressful period is over (such as going home for term time, a holiday, time with friends)

• You deserve rest – even during stressful periods

How the student assistance programme can help students

Exam stress shouldn’t be dealt with alone. If you’re struggling, SAP can help you manage your stress, talk it out and guide you through dealing with the stresses that come with student life in a health way. From an institution’s perspective it can help increase student wellbeing, support your duty of care and boost overall student engagement. Our counsellors and specialists are able to support students with legal, medical and financial advice too – all of which can be challenging and stressful to deal with alone during studies.

Plus, students have access to the Wisdom app which can help track overall wellbeing from activity levels to mood and water intake tracking. It’s chock-full of helpful wellbeing guides, insightful videos on student matters, exercise videos and recipes crafted by qualified nutritionists.

Conclusion

Studying successfully with a mental health diagnosis is fully possible. And even when the going gets tough, it’s important to reach out to your college or university for support, as well as your SAP, as they can provide immediate guidance, as well as signpost you to the relevant places for further advice or monetary support too. Looking after your wellbeing will be key during exam seasons, and ensuring you have goals, no matter how big or small, can give you something to look forward to after deadlines have died down.