BM88: Resolution on psychological support in Portuguese HEIs

The promotion of mental health within higher education institutions and in society at large has become a key issue for the student movement in recent years, an effort that the European Students’ Union has helped to spearhead. Unfortunately, the growing awareness of this topic also comes as a consequence of the decline in mental well-being in the majority of the European population, post Covid-19 pandemic.

The situation within Portuguese society has become especially bleak – Portugal ranks 5th among the countries with highest incidence of depression in the EU, with up to 10% of the population suffering from depression. In the past, the Portuguese student movement has sought at various times to assess and promote the mental well-being of the university population. While international standards for psychological counseling services in HEIs establish a ratio of 1 psychologist for every 500 students, the average ratio in Portuguese universities is 1 to 3238 (with some institutions reaching 1 to 5000 ratios). There is an undeniable incapacity of psychological support services to keep up with the growing mental health needs of the student community.

Such figures point to a profound decline in the mental well-being and support of the student population, forcing us to reflect on the structural issues of Portuguese higher education that act as catalysts to this situation, namely the heavy financial burden on families, profound changes to study programmes often undertaken without student participation, and high pressure associated with the pursuit of professional fulfillment in a deteriorating economy.

International and mobility students are in a particularly vulnerable position owing to language and cultural barriers and lack of personal support networks in the host country; even if they benefited from comprehensive mental health support in their origin countries, such support is often not guaranteed in the host country. This raises the complex issue of the interoperability of the psychological support services between different HEIs and countries, in order to ensure continued care and support for international and mobility students.

Thus, ESU calls for the Portuguese Government and Higher Education Institutions to address the growing issue of mental health among Portuguese students, namely by

1. Guaranteeing the availability of psychological support services within all HEIs, free of charge and compliant with international standards for psychologist : student ratio;
2. Raising awareness of the existing psychological support services, also addressing the practical barriers and social stigma that prevent students from seeking help;
3. Collaborating with their international and mobility partners to seek greater interoperability of psychological support services, bridging the gap between origin and host country, so that students continue to enjoy high standards of mental health support wherever they pursue their studies.

Proposers: FAIRe

Seconders: CREUP