“I had to get myself better” – Scottish universities urged to provide better mental health support following shocking statistics
Alarming figures released by mental health charity ‘Beat’ have shown that the number of university students in Scotland seeking support for illnesses such as bulimia, anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder has more than doubled since 2019.
This could be due to the drastic change young people face during the leap from secondary school to university, and the stress that inevitably comes with it.
There are a variety of mental health services offered by independent organisations and within universities, however it can be a daunting and challenging experience to reach out for help.
‘Beat’ have urged Scottish universities to undergo training programmes to be able to identify the early warning signs of eating disorders in their students to ensure they do not struggle alone.
Lucy Scarlett, 22, who is in recovery after developing bulimia in her second year of university said: “When you go to uni you experience quite a lot of freedom, no one’s really looking after you or checking in on you like your parents do, you’re drinking a lot more than you usually do and you’re not taking care of yourself as much as you usually do.”
After failing to receive enough support from both the NHS and her university, Lucy had to “get herself better”.
She said: “I spoke to my tutor about it, and he was very accommodating and said if I needed any time off uni or any extensions that they’d be great with that, but for the actual getting better side of it, and the medical side of it, I was very on my own and didn’t receive a lot of help at all.”
If you feel like you are struggling – don’t struggle alone, there is support available for everyone.
Contact Talking ED’s, a Scottish eating disorder support service on 07849 740336.
