Student Advisory Board member, BA Law student, UCL
I am an undergraduate Law student at UCL with lived experience of poor mental health. I hope to utilise my observations and perceptions about mental health and associated services (or lack thereof) to help inform future decisions regarding support at universities in tandem with others with similar experiences and researchers with expertise in this area.
Promoting good mental health is a priority for me since it significantly impacts a person’s quality of life, such as studying and working, building social relationships, and maintaining physical health. However, it is also often missing from social discourse – for example, physical health is highly incorporated into primary school curriculums, whereas mental health is not. Consequently, when problems arise, individuals and society are ill-equipt to deal with them, thereby prolonging and exacerbating their negative impact.
Furthermore, I believe mental health is even more pertinent during the current Covid-19 pandemic. The extent of disruption to society is unprecedented in recent memory, and its long-term effects on mental health are still unknown.