Opinion article by Kubeshni Gounder, Lecturer in the Department of Social Work, and Mariëtte Joubert, Placement Liaison Officer in the Department of Social Work, Advisory Board member for Sociology, and ad hoc lecturer at DiMTEC, University of the Free State.

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 'No student should ever feel alone with their mental health challenges', is the theme for University Mental Health Day 2022. Yet, anxiety and depression increased globally by 25% during 2020, with youth and women the most affected (WHO, 2022). 

According to the annual Mental State of the World Report from Sapien Labs, South Africa has one of the lowest mental health scores and is ranked as one of the worst countries regarding mental health. South Africa's mental health services are in a grave state. Only 16% of mental health patients receive treatment, even though one in every six South Africans suffers from anxiety, depression, or drug abuse issues (Pols, 2019). Only 2,8% of the Free State health budget is allocated to mental health services (Docrat, et al., 2019, p. 79). According to the Free State Department of Health (FSDoH), the Free State Psychiatric Complex (FSPC) is the province's only specialised psychiatric hospital (FSDoH, 2017). Even more shocking is that the Free State only has four mental health institutional care facilities that are correctly accredited (Erasmus, 2022). 

While World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma, which is recognised on 10 October every year, University Mental Health Day – a UK national campaign – took place on 3 March 2022.

There have been ongoing discussions in competing narratives in recent years, describing students as either 'generation snowflake' or 'vulnerable young people in crisis'. Neither appreciates the complexity of students' experience of entering higher education institutions.

The term 'generation snowflake' is an informal or colloquial term used to describe young people in or after 2010, who were considered less resilient and more likely to take offence than other generations. This term questions students' resilience rather than the unique challenges faced at university, particularly against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Higher education institutions worldwide have undergone unprecedented change because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities and colleges had no option but to switch to online teaching and learning. Many were unprepared for this move to emergency remote teaching and learning. It has been almost two years since the first lockdown, and although many universities have adopted some form of hybrid learning approach, the challenges still exist, especially in the Global South.

The attempt to combine face-to-face and online classes into one seamless process has been a mammoth task, and the difficulties experienced with internet access, laptops, financial aid, and vaccine protocols have further hindered this process. For many students, higher education institutions are no longer places where they go to learn, but rather spaces where they form alliances and professional relationships with others that will hopefully develop beyond their academic life. With the sudden and aggressive appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, students were suddenly removed from anything familiar to their previous experience of university life; the same is true for academic staff. This drastic change in how we live our lives has had a severe impact on every aspect of our lives. 

Visser and Law-van Wyk (2021) obtained data from an online survey completed by 5 074 students three months into the pandemic. Students reported difficulties coping with psychological challenges during the lockdown: 45,6% and 35% reported subjective experiences of anxiety and depression, respectively. Students scored low on the mental health continuum.

Mental health concerns affect a student's ability to attend classes, to focus on academic material, and to learn effectively, which impacts academic staff who, in addition to assisting students with their academic performance, have to take into cognisance the fragility of a student's mental health. Academic staff and faculties can be a powerful resource concerning referrals to resources available on campus. Charities such as UMHAN play a pivotal role in higher education institutions.

Academic staff, faculties, and students can work collaboratively so that the focus shifts towards positive mental health, which is "a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to her or his community" (WHO, 2004). The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS, 2020) mentions 20 points for positive mental health, which we can all incorporate into our daily lives. 

A country such as South Africa cannot afford to ignore the impact of the pandemic on higher education, especially on students' health and well-being. South Africa's comparative and competitive edge is locked in the youth, especially university students. They are a critical mass in "building the capability of the state to play a developmental, transformative role", according to the National Development Plan 2030 (Ojo et al., 2021).

University Mental Health Day is run jointly by Student Minds and the University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN), encompassing several UK and European universities that provide online engagement and digital spaces for students to engage with each other. While we recognise the digital divide in South Africa, universities need to look at long-term strategies to support the well-being of university students.

Taking lessons from such campaigns will help empower students and members of the university community to look after their mental health, support others, and create change.