Debt, papers, midterms and a bleak job market after graduation.
Students have a lot to worry about these days, and according to a group of student leaders across Canada, it's contributing to a rise in the number of mental health problems at Universities and Colleges.
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations says Ottawa needs to pump more money into support services and anti-stigma campaigns. It also says the government and schools need to better coordinate their programs to give students what they need.
According to Jonathan Champagne who is the group's executive director, there's surprisingly little data on mental health issues at schools.
“I would argue “A” we need to collect better statistics, and “B” we need to create an environment where students do feel comfortable coming forward and seeking help,” said Champagne.
Sam Lambert is the President of Wilfrid Laurier University's Students' Union, and says more and more of his peers are struggling with mental health issues. Part of the problem he suspects, is concern over what it will take to get a job.
“If you look back 10, 20 years, getting a university degree was a differentiator, and from that point you were fine,” Lambert said.
There's also that crushing student debt.
The average Canadian student now owes an estimated $26,000 after graduation.
“(It) is a lot more than 10 years ago, so that has certainly become a more prominent issue,” said Maaz Yasin, from the Federation of Students at the University of Waterloo.
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations says it's seeing an increase in the number of mental health problems on campuses.
The association would like the government to provide more financial support to students, and if someone has a mental health problem, it would like them to get more time to pay off their debts.
The association also thinks schools need to work together to help coordinate their mental health programs.
It's something Lambert says local schools are already doing.
“It's maybe a little later than it should have started, but we're there, and we're working toward finding a solution,” Lambert said.
The federation of students at the University of Waterloo also says it's lobbying Queen's Park for more funding, to get a 1 to 1000 counsellor to student ratio on university campuses.
