A new resource, aimed at helping students regain the motivation, energy and optimism lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been developed by Kidman Centre UTS psychologists.
The stresses and strains that come with finishing school or starting university are supposed to be a normal part of life. Then there are the enjoyable milestones and rites of passage of turning 18, high school formals and OWeek celebrations.
But what happens when all the fun aspects - the socialising, Gap Year planning and freedom - are suddenly stripped away and the whole world seemed to be in isolation and lockdown?
This is the reality facing HSC and first year tertiary students. Research suggests many are not coping, prompting clinical psychologists from the Kidman Centre UTS to develop a new resource aimed at helping an especially vulnerable group get urgent support.
Kidman Centre Director Dr Rachael Murrihy said young people in Australia were already experiencing high rates of mental illness, and that COVID-19 has “dramatically accelerated this trend”.
“Depression and anxiety [among young people] has increased four fold.
“The message we’re getting from students is concerning. We’re hearing comments such as ‘It’s all pointless’, ‘I feel ripped off’, ‘I can’t concentrate’, ‘I’m struggling with motivation’,” Dr Murrihy said.
Dr Murrihy said these were signs that investment in this group is needed now to avoid even higher rates of mental illness in young people.
“We are facing down high suicide rates, especially if unemployment increases and a second pandemic wave leads to further lockdowns, isolation and disruption," she said.
Continue reading at UTS Newsroom: Program helps students come back stronger