Student health: Alarming study data from Potsdam!

Student health: Alarming study data from Potsdam!

Current studies show that the mental health of students is an urgent and complex issue. From April 15 to June 15, 2025, the University of Potsdam will conduct a comprehensive health survey among its students. This survey, titled "HAY! How Are You?" The aim is to gain a better overview of the health challenges faced by students and to identify stressful factors in various study programs. Employees from Student Health Management and researchers from the Chair of Social and Preventive Medicine are responsible for the implementation. The survey will take around 20 minutes and is aimed at students at the University of Potsdam. This is not the first survey of its kind; As early as 2023, a preliminary investigation provided information about the students' psychological situation. At that time, 36% of participants reported increased depression levels. What is particularly alarming is that the number of affected students has doubled since 2015, as a study by the Techniker Krankenkasse shows.

In addition to the depression values ​​recorded, the current survey also addresses the students' experience of stress, health behavior and the effects of the corona pandemic on their living situation. The survey covers complex topics, including financing studies and housing. One goal of the study is to form a stakeholder committee that includes students, university management and university politics in order to develop long-term health strategies. The long-term plan is to integrate topics such as resilience, stress management and mental health into the curriculum.

Mental health in college: An ongoing challenge

The challenges students face are diverse and are compounded by societal factors such as social media and economic uncertainties. The high academic pressure, combined with financial strain, often leads to stress. According to a study by Herbst et al. (2016), who surveyed 18,000 students in Germany, 53% of participants reported high levels of stress. Students in specific disciplines, such as veterinary medicine, computer science or art, are particularly affected. In addition, the BARMER medical report from 2018 shows that 17% of new students have at least one mental illness, which indicates a worrying situation compared to the general population, in which only 10% are affected.

While some students cope successfully with the challenges using strategies such as mindfulness and exercise, access to professional support often comes with barriers. Many people are afraid to seek help for fear of stigmatization or due to insufficient knowledge about available help options. At the same time, alarming statistics show that 25% of students express suicidal thoughts and 10.6% increase the intensity of these thoughts within a year.

Need for action and possible solutions

To counteract this situation, effective solutions are required. Expanding counseling services and promoting peer support groups could be instrumental in improving access to support. In addition, educational campaigns are necessary to raise awareness of mental health. Many students are not aware of the offers within their university, as a study showed, in which only 39% of those surveyed were aware of the psychotherapeutic counseling centers.

There must be a clear vision for the future development of mental health promotion in universities that takes seriously the enormous challenges students face. Over the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation and severely impacted the quality of life of many young people. In order to promote mental health during your studies, an interdisciplinary approach and the anchoring of these topics in everyday student life are essential. The University of Potsdam is taking a promising step in this regard by focusing on the needs of its students and trying to actively include them in the design of their study conditions.