The issue of mental health in university learners is rarely brought up, yet it has a tangible effect on the target audience’s health and ability to learn. In the context of a university, the adverse effects of ADHD and other mental health issues faced by students multiply. Due to the increased workload, the vast amount of materials to study, and the resulting stress, students’ mental health issues are likely to aggravate. ADHD intensifies with the rise in the levels of stress, as a recent study indicates (Lahav, Ben-Simon, Inbar-Weiss, & Katz, 2018). In turn, the current level of awareness concerning the problems of mental health and ADHD is drastically low in university students.
A recent study has problem that the reality of ADHD and other mental health concerns in university srudents is much more complicated than it might seem at first glance. The study by Lee and Jung (2018) points to the fact that the introduction of innovative tools for controlling the levels of stress in university students and educating them about the need to consider their mental health more seriously produces a positive effect. Namely, the paper by Lee and Jung (2018) approves of the DeStressify application as the means of reducing the amount of stress faced by university students.
Nevertheless, even with the introduction of the specified apps, the level of awareness and the general mental health literacy rates are drastically low in university students presently. Reports prove that the vast majority of students are unaware of the threats that the rapid increase in workload and information to be processed has on their emotional, mental, and physical well-being (Bruffaerts et al., 2018). Therefore, the problem of mental health must be taken more seriously in universities.
Narrowing down the issue of mental health in university students, one should pay particular attention to the problem of ADHD. Research indicates that the university setting with the rapid increase in workload and the amount of materials to study creates a perfect breeding ground for the development of panic attacks, ADHD, and other mental health issues in unprepared learners (Harrer et al., 20-19). Moreover, outcomes of scientific analyses prove that the increase in the levels of ADHD in students at the university reduces their quality of life, hence a drop in motivation and the ability to acquire the needed knowledge and skills (Grégoire, Lachance, Bouffard, & Dionne, 2018). Therefore, unless the problem of ADHD in university students is addressed, it jeopardizes their ability to study.
For the reason described above, ADHD has to be recognized as a topical and tangible problem for university students. In order to address it, a comprehensive mental health program aimed at managing stress and mental health issues in the university context is required. The program will allow students to learn more about the effects that ADHD has on their mental well-being, as well as introduce learners to the resources and strategies for managing their ADHD. Furthermore, the specified information will also be useful for educators as the guidance in shaping the teaching material to reduce the extent of stress and anxiety experienced by learners.
Building awareness among university students and staff members about the threat of ADHD and other mental health issues in learner sis essential since the specified concern causes a variety of side effects and reduces students’ ability to learn effectively. Moreover, the inability to manage the increasing ADHD and other mental health problems will entail the development of chronic disorders that will affect the quality of students’ lives in the future. Thus, creating a viable tool for building awareness and offering learners the needed resources is crucial.
References
Bruffaerts, R., Mortier, P., Kiekens, G., Auerbach, R. P., Cuijpers, P., Demyttenaere, K.,… Kessler, R. C. (2018). Mental health problems in college freshmen: Prevalence and academic functioning. Journal of Affective Disorders, 225, 97-103.
Grégoire, S., Lachance, L., Bouffard, T., & Dionne, F. (2018). The use of acceptance and commitment therapy to promote mental health and school engagement in university students: A multisite randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 49(3), 360-372.
Harrer, M., Adam, S. H., Baumeister, H., Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Auerbach, R. P.,… & Ebert, D. D. (2019). Internet interventions for mental health in university students: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 28(2), e1759. Web.
Lahav, O., Ben-Simon, A., Inbar-Weiss, N., & Katz, N. (2018). Weekly calendar planning activity for university students: comparison of individuals with and without ADHD by gender. Journal of Attention Disorders, 22(4), 368-378.
Lee, R. A., & Jung, M. E. (2018). Evaluation of an mHealth App (DeStressify) on university students’ mental health: pilot trial. JMIR Mental Health, 5(1), e2. Web.