The importance of providing young people with mental health support

Do you feel safe openly discussing your mental health with your colleagues at work? When your supervisors or managers ask questions about your wellbeing, do you often feel that it is easier or safer to feign a smile or respond with an ‘I’m okay’, even if that is not the case? If so, you are not alone.

This sentiment is particularly acute in academia. According to the charity Education Support, 60% of higher education staff feel uncomfortable disclosing mental health problems or unmanageable stress to their employer. And yet 76% of higher education employees have experienced behavioural, psychological, or physical symptoms due to their work – as have 60% of employees in other professions in the UK. The cost of poor mental health per employee in the education sector is between £1203 and £1585 per year.