New project gets students talking about taboo subject
The University of Leuven has launched the project MindMates, which seeks to combat a worrying trend in mental health problems among students in higher education
Let’s talk
MindMates has caught the eye of the Flemish media and, more importantly, local students. Raising awareness around mental health problems is a crucial first step. At the same time, these efforts also touch upon one of the many paradoxes that surround the subject.
In recent years, we have been served a steady diet of suicide rates and other alarming indications. Despite this level of information, and many a campaign to address the issues at hand, emotional problems remain a taboo in Flanders.
The MindMates homepage introduces visitors to a set of startling figures. A four-year study into the emotional well-being of KU Leuven students shows that one in five struggles with at least occasional depression, and that one out of 10 has thought about suicide.
“Our research indicates that there are a lot of emotional problems among students, and that suicidal behaviour is common,” says Marleen Gheldof, a psychotherapist at the Student Health Centre in Leuven and co-ordinator of the new initiative. “We also know that young adults are less likely to seek help than other age categories. All of that creates a very dangerous mix.”
Behind the numbers
Statistically, students run no higher risk of mental health issues than their peers who aren’t pursuing higher education. In the university’s student newspaper Veto, professor Ronny Bruffaerts of the Research Group Psychiatry put the conclusions of the new results into perspective.
“It’s remarkable how the risk of emotional problems later in life increases as one’s date of birth is more recent,” Bruffaerts wrote. “Someone born in 1980 runs a greater risk than someone born in 1970. This trend continues to rise and is a global phenomenon.”
With these statistics in mind, it’s also important to distinguish between being at risk for mental disorder and actually suffering from a mental disorder. Nevertheless, the research once again demonstrated that the situation needed to be addressed. “The MindMates programme has grown out of our desire to do better in preventing suicide and promoting emotional well-being”, says Gheldof. “We all know the figures, but there’s still a strong need to break the silence. We want students to talk to each other also when they’re feeling down.”
To encourage a more open dialogue, MindMates offers a framework for peer support. Students can follow workshops on dealing with and detecting mental health issues – in themselves and in others. Students also organise activities to help raise awareness.
“There are already many counselling programmes for students,” says Gheldof, “but we want to invest in what we call universal prevention. We want to address everyone, including those who don’t currently have psychological problems.”
This means reinforcing the “protective factors,” she says, “help build a community of students. People who have a high-quality social network are better protected against potential psychological issues. Social isolation can trigger existing problems or cause trouble for students who started their university life carefree.”
Not for everyone
Finding your place in a new setting is part of going to university or any institution of higher education. Traditionally, student unions and societies play a role in forging friendships and familiarising newcomers with their new environment. Oftentimes, they are helped by a system of “godmothers” and “godfathers”, more experienced students who show newbies the ropes of student life, both on and off campus.
“I’m all for that system,” says Gheldof, “but there’s a group of students those organisations don’t reach. They often attract a certain type of students. And not everyone fits that profile.”
MindMates sets out to organise events where you can join in on your own. Via their website, they also offer the option to ask for a “buddy”, a student volunteer who has followed the MindMates workshops and is ready to meet up for an informal chat.
One of them is Elisabeth Leysen, a second-year economics student who has recently made the step from attending workshops to being a buddy. “I think the system of godmothers and godfathers at the student societies is less personal,” Leysen says. “They don’t get so much involved with questions about how you are feeling. When you talk with the MindMates buddies, there’s less of a taboo around discussing personal issues.”
Not that those buddies take over the role of professional counsellors or become instant best friends. “The workshops have taught me that it’s okay not to come up with a solution right away when someone talks about her issues,” explains Leysen. “Sometimes it’s helpful just to listen and to honestly say that you don’t know the answer, either. During my first meeting as a buddy, I just went to the other student’s home, and we chatted about all kinds of stuff for two hours.”
Step by step
It’s a view echoed by Kathleen Nollet, a psychology student also in her second year who has had several buddy encounters. “Most of the time, the other person just wants someone to talk to,” she says. “Every activity we did together was spontaneous. It certainly didn’t feel as if I was the therapist. I’ve also learned that you don’t have to make someone else’s problems your own. You have to take care of yourself if you want to be able to help others.”
The buddies form a very approachable initial line of support in a project that acts as a gateway to any type of psychological assistance a student might need, professional or otherwise. Besides its stepping stone approach, MindMates focuses on building general awareness in the university community. That’s why they have also been training various types of personnel in student housing and across the university.
“They, too, have to sharpen their antennas,” says Gheldof. “It’s the responsibility of each and every one of us to pick up the signals when someone is having difficulties. Talking about it is often the first step towards getting help.”
It’s complicated to delve into longitudinal trends and the reasons why so many students need help but don’t seek it. “The far-reaching individualisation at various levels in our society, the pressure to perform and the pace of our modern lives are all elements that contribute to a need to facilitate a different kind of interaction,” explains Gheldof.
People don’t necessarily need initiatives like MindMates to engage in such contacts. “But apparently many students no longer do,” says Gheldof. “Is it because this type of interaction isn’t there anymore, or do these students have personal characteristics that hinder them to take the necessary steps? Or is it because they have a completely wrong perception of how others lead their lives?”
Everyday views
According to Gheldof, social networking sites are part of the problem. “Social media certainly doesn’t invite us to deepen our interactions, nor does it offer a broad overview of the spectrum of how to live your life, including everything that doesn’t belong to the shiny, happy side of it,” she says. “Because of what they see on social media, some students start to believe that their peers have a blissful social life all day, every day. Which makes them feel excluded. And which makes the threshold for them to participate even higher.”
Students who pursue higher education go through an important phase of their lives, both personally and professionally. They start a life away from their parental homes, especially when living in student accommodation. Universities are havens for personal and intellectual development. At the same time, they also constitute a breeding ground for tomorrow’s human capital, one where the professional rat race begins.
Or is it just a matter of perspective? “Leuven has a pretty small student community where you can make friends in a jiffy,” says student buddy Leysen. “I’ve always been a busy bee. But before getting involved with MindMates, I wasn’t always aware of some aspects of mental well-being.”
In the meantime, a new study from Ghent University has shown that about half of doctoral students at Flanders’ five universities struggle with depressive feelings. One in three even shows symptoms of clinical depression.
The timing may be coincidental, but both Leuven and Ghent reports now indicate that young adults are experiencing severe difficulties at the very institutions that are meant to help shape their futures.
“One of our main messages is that having a bad day is also part of life,” says Gheldof. “Sometimes we overanalyse everyday occurrences. Paradoxically, severe problems often aren’t treated the way they should be.”
Photo courtesy Rob Stevens / KU Leuven
University of Leuven
staff members in 2013
students in 2014-2015 academic year
million euros in annual research budget
- KU Leuven
- KU Leuven Association
- Study in Flanders
