How to support students with mental health challenges

If the situation is more complex or if the student has been feeling unwell for a longer period, Lundberg’s advice is to refer the person to Student Health Services, the local health centre or the nearest Youth Centre (ungdomsmottagningen). “Teachers can also call us at Student Health Services and discuss the situation.”

When it comes to things that are a natural part of life, such as grief or crisis, his experience is that many people think that professional intervention is required. But ordinary empathy and humanity often mean a lot in such situations.
“Listening and empathy are worth their weight in gold. They send an important signal that it is possible to cope and get through the situation. It is also a good idea to ask how people are sleeping, eating and dealing with daily routines.”

If you are worried that there is a danger of suicide, the best thing is to ask the student, he believes. It is good not to be alone as a teacher in the situation. For example, you can call and discuss it with the 1177 health support and advice service or an emergency psychiatric unit, preferably together with the student. You can also refer the person to various other support services and helplines.
“There is sometimes a fear of bringing up suicide, that you will accidentally trigger something, but we know that this is not the case. It is always better to ask.”

It can sometimes be a good idea to think about whether you are the right person to contact the student. Perhaps there is someone else in the team who is closer to the class and has a better chance of having a good conversation. Depending on your life situation, it may also be appropriate to set limits to your involvement.
“Signalling ‘I will listen to you’ and then not living up to that is not a good thing to communicate to the student,” says Lundberg. “It is important to think about how much you can take on yourself, and sometimes you need to let someone else take over.”

Katja Lindert Bergsten is a senior lecturer at the Department of Psychology at Uppsala University and co-author of a pilot study on students’ mental well-being. The report showed that several UK universities train staff in mental health issues. The University of Glasgow also has a student mental health policy, with advice for supervisors on dealing with students who display mental health symptoms.
“We also saw that there have been good initiatives in some faculties at Swedish universities,” she says, “but they are often dependent on a few enthusiastic teachers, and when they disappear, it falls apart. The measures need to be institutionalised so that they are not reliant on the commitment of specific individuals.”