Stressed NI students 'need help'

Students face new pressures at university or college

Student leaders in Northern Ireland are calling for more help to be provided to young people at universities and colleges who may be suffering from mental illness.

The call came as it was revealed on Wednesday that more than half of university students show symptoms of depression.

A combination of factors, including a shortage of money, the pressures of independent study and boyfriend or girlfriend trouble, make students living away from home more vulnerable than others their age.

Lynn Bruce from the Health Promotion Agency said: "If they are away from home, they have no family support and some tend to feel isolated.

Lynn Bruce: "Students often find living away from home difficult"

"They also find that student life is very different from living at home and that can cause problems.

"And when some students are exposed to drink and drugs, they find it very hard to deal with these pressures.

"This is all being fed back through the student movement."

A seminar being held on Wednesday is aimed at devising a co-ordinated approach to getting help to the students who need it.