A Salford student who was ‘scared to leave her room’ due to the anxiety of moving to university, is advising others on how to tackle mental health issues in higher education.
According to mental health charity, Mind, rates of suicide in the university population are higher than those within the general population.
Ellie Prendergast, 18, has spoken out on World Mental Health Day (October 10), to help others who might be struggling in silence. She said: “I was diagnosed with an eating disorder at around 15 which was a massive journey,”
“It obviously led to a lot of negative thoughts, and anxiety and depression that I still struggle with every day.”
Ellie is hoping to use her experiences to help other students who may find themselves with a mental health condition during their time away from home. She spoke about the fears of moving to a new place and the effects that it had on her mental health.
She added: “It was nerve wracking moving away, it’s a massive change and emotions are obviously very heightened when starting uni.
“You’re moving to a new place, changing your routine and getting into new habits so it does make you anxious, for me, big changes like this take a massive toll on me and my mental health.
“The quick change to living on your own makes you feel like you have to fend for yourself but the best advice I could give is to be open and honest and speak to someone about it.”
Ellie is an advocate for other students to speak up about their mental health struggles. She said speaking to somebody and getting support is vital when starting university.
“When I first moved in I didn’t want to come out of my room because I was so scared,” she said. “But I knew that wasn’t just me, others were going through the same.
“I’ve met a lot of new friends who I’ve opened up to about my mental health and they’ve been nothing but supportive and nice about it.”
Ellie said overcoming the initial fear of meeting new people at university is one of the best ways to improve mental health once moving away from home.
She added: “You feel so lonely when you move away on your own but as soon as I started making friends, it became a lot easier,”
“I find keeping myself busy whether it be going out, going for a walk, sitting with my flat mates, going to the library anything is better than ending up stuck in your room all the time.”
Alongside peer support from other students around her, Ellie has gained support from the University of Salford itself. She has support from both a one-to-one mentor and a counsellor.
“I ring my one-to-one mentor twice a week for as long as I need,” she added. “It could be 10 minutes or it could be an hour long and I also speak to a counsellor from uni about my mental health.
“The uni has been really helpful and supportive by giving me someone to talk to professionally.”
This support is available to all students through the health and wellbeing section on their website.
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