Mental Health

Students enjoying the park

What is Mental Health?

At its core, good mental well-being is a healthy way of thinking, feeling, and creating meaningful relationships. As a result of the pandemic, never before has there been a more important time to protect and maintain mental health in our community.

This page is about general mental health. If you are interested in reading about how important brain or cognitive health is for your wellbeing and learning visit our cognitive health page https://www.monash.edu/thrive/cognitive-health.

If you or a loved one needs immediate assistance please call emergency services (000) or Lifeline (13 11 14) for 24/7 support. You can also contact a Monash Counsellor or psychologist for free if you want someone to talk to (Australia: 1300 788 336 , Malaysia: 1800 818 356 , Anywhere else: +61 2 8295 2917).

Online webchat options are available from Beyond Blue, Qlife (LGBTIQ) or Mensline if you feel more comfortable talking over message.

Young people at University are coping with a lot of major changes in their lives that can increase the risk of psychological distress, such as anxiety, stress, feeling down, and hopelessness. Throughout your time at University, you are likely to at some point experience;

Feeling down or ‘flat’

Struggling to cope and balance work and life

Feeling hopeless

Feeling stressed

Feelings of anxiety

Our 2020 Thrive@Home student surveys found that up to one third of Monash students experienced  high stress, 10% felt down, and 15% had feelings of anxiety throughout 2020.

Asking for help early, or even discussing what is causing you stress with someone you trust can help you cope and feel better.

According to our survey, most students would be more likely to seek help from a friend if they were struggling. You might find that one of your friends needs your support. Learn about how you can be there for your friends here.

Check out a summary of our other findings below:

Remember


If you feel like you need to talk to a mental health professional, Monash Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is free, completely confidential, can be in person or online/via phone (telehealth) and does not impact your VISA, health insurance, or academic record.

Learning about stress, anxiety, and feeling down can help you identify these feelings and recognise when you might need to seek help. Monash offers a range of mental health programs and mental health resources.

You can also find useful guides and resources about mental health and seeking help from BeyondBlue and our Seeking Help page.

How to ask for help

 

Find someone you can trust

Whether that is a family member, a friend, or a loved one, it is important to find someone you feel like you can trust to talk about your feelings and struggles with.
You can also seek help from a professional service such as Monash Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS), or get more support online through supported websites and forums.

Let them know you want to talk about something tough

Most people don’t have much experience talking about difficult topics like mental health. It can be a good idea to let them know you want to talk about something serious. Some people don’t like talking about serious topics and if that's the case you may need to find someone who is more prepared to talk about it, that could be another friend, or a Monash counsellor or psychologist.

Plan out what you want to say

Talking about our emotions can be overwhelming, and we can sometimes get sidetracked by smaller details. Before you talk to a friend, try to plan out what you would like to say, and mention any issues or problems in your life that you think might be causing you to feel this way.

Remember, you are not alone. 

Many students feel down or anxious and stressed at some point during their studies. Our survey from 2020 found that many Monash students experienced high stress and feelings of anxiety. If you are feeling stressed and like you can’t cope with everything you need to do try reaching out to someone and remember that others are likely feeling this way too.

How to help others

Read up about mental health

Most of us are not trained to talk about mental health, or even truly understand what it means. There is lots of information out there from trustworthy sources, including BeyondBlue. to help you learn about mental health and how to support someone else who is struggling.

 

Remember, you don’t need to be a doctor to help a friend

No one expects you to have a degree in counselling to help a friend. By just listening to their struggles and being there to talk if they need, it can make someone feel like they are important and valued. If you feel like their struggles may need to be addressed by a professional, you can encourage them to contact professional services such as Monash Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Just listening can be enough

For the most part, when someone wants to talk about their struggles, they just need someone to listen. Active listening is a method that can help you make sure the other person feels heard. Some tips for active listening include focusing on what they are saying, and asking questions if you are unsure. Try to remain neutral and not take sides, or to judge. Try to use non-verbal cues to show you are listening, like eye contact and smiling.