MORE than a quarter of students in Northern Ireland have had a personal experience of mental illness, a new study has found.
The research was based on information gathered from 1,500 students attending college or university in the Province last year.
Commissioned by the Open Your Mind project, the survey also found that depression remains the most commonly known mental illness, closely followed by eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, and self-harming.
The findings form part of an Ulster-wide awareness campaign aimed specifically at students.
According to the study – which quizzed people studying at Queen’s University, Belfast Metropolitan College and other educational establishments – 27 per cent of respondents claimed that they currently or previously had a mental illness.
A larger proportion of female students (31 per cent) claim they have personally experienced such a form of ill health compared with their male counterparts (21 per cent).
Almost half of all those surveyed admitted that a relative has or has had mental health problems (47 per cent).
One in five (22 per cent) said they had no experience of such illness.
Adrianne Peltz, from the students’ representative body NUS-USI, said: “So many people who leave home for the first time and are far away from friends and family can experience problems in relation to mental health.
“This type of scenario and the pressure of holding down a job while facing the stress of having to pass many exams and complete assignments can have a profoundly negative impact on some people’s lives, and this report’s findings are very telling.”
Anne Doherty, from the charity MindWise, said the findings “starkly illustrate a potential lack of understanding of this very important issue”.