Study finds increase in depression, anxiety among students

A research study into the health and well-being of higher education students in Finland has found that one in three suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression, reports Yle News. This is a proportionally higher rate of mental health symptoms and psychological distress than the adult population as a whole, according to the research.

More than 6,000 students responded to the latest Finnish Student Health and Wellbeing Survey (KOTT) – carried out in a cooperative project by public health authority THL and social insurance institute Kela every four years – during February and March this year.

The rate of anxiety and depression among female students was even higher, with 40% of women studying at universities and universities of applied sciences reporting symptoms. The study further found that female students were three times more likely to develop an eating disorder than their male counterparts.
Full report on the Yle site