Christina McKelvie MSP has signed up to ‘Think Positive’, a campaign run by NUS Scotland to tackle mental health issues among students in Scotland.
It is estimated that over 19,000 students in the Scottish Parliamentary Central Scotland region will suffer from mental ill health at some point in their lives. Across Scotland it is estimated that up to 140,000 students currently studying at college and university will experience mental health problems.
Think Positive is a project run by the National Union of Students in Scotland to tackle the stigma of mental ill health, raise awareness of this issue among students, college and university staff and the general public.
Christina McKelvie said:
“I was very pleased to sign up to NUS Scotland’s Think Positive campaign, which highlights an important issue for students.
“We have a growing student population in Lanarkshire, with flourishing institutions such as the University of the West of Scotland Hamilton campus and Motherwell College.
“University and college years are an exciting time, but they can also be very stressful. It’s essential that any student experiencing mental health problems knows that they don’t have to struggle alone and that there is support and advice available.
“It’s in all our interests that mental health problems don’t stand in the way of our students realising their full potential and getting the most from their education.”
Kainde Manji, NUS Scotland Women’s Officer, said:
“NUS Scotland’s Think Positive campaign is working with students, colleges and universities across Scotland to tackle mental ill-health among students. We believe that mental health is becoming a bigger issue across colleges and universities in Scotland and it is therefore more important than ever that we work to get the support services that people need.
“It’s great to have the support of politicians from across all parties for this valuable project and we will be working hard over the coming months and years to come together to make a difference for students suffering mental ill health.”