Anxiety in DC at university

[AmyFl]

my DC who is living away from home at university has just contacted me tonight with symptoms that sound like anxiety and depression. We have spoken for a long time by telephone. I've advised to contact the GP and the university counselling service does anyone have any other advice as to how I can give support?

What you’ve done is good advice. The Student Union might also have a welfare support service.

Thank you, will look into that.

Is DC far away? Would a weekend visit be plausible, or meet halfway? It might be easier to establish severity of symptoms and perhaps peace of mind for you. Also to get to the bottom of things e.g. loneliness, finding course too hard or not enjoyable etc. And yes to DC contacting student support. I hope they feel better soon.

Have a look on the university website.

Mental health is a major concerns for universities now, and there should be a section outlining what support is available on the university website.

I too would go and visit at the weekend if you can.

Thank you all. Thought I would check in just before I go to sleep, will look on the website, and look into meeting up on the weekend, had not considered meeting halfway, that's a good idea.

Is there a student welfare officer? They can sometimes be of use in signposting towards other services the university / union offer

Both mine have had periods of stress/anxiety I’ve either gone to see them for a couple of days or brought them home for a few days, one is over 450 miles and has to fly back. It’s amazing what a difference it makes, I usually cook/take them out for dinner do a few activities that they normally couldn’t afford and we have some fun. We all need to step off the treadmill of life occasionally and have a bit of TLC. Every time they’ve picked up theirs lives and happily continued with uni.

How long until the end of term? Most finish at the end of next week so you might want to consider access to support services in your local area too.

As you probably know the university won't speak to you about your DC's welfare as they are considered an adult now and the contract is with them. However, if you phone they might be able to direct you to possible contacts for your DC.

Agree with others, gently try and figure out if anything is triggering it, loneliness, missing home, work pressures, pressures of dealing with everything else themselves.

I have a child with chronic, fairly severe anxiety in HE a 2 hr train journey from here. What I find helps a lot is just being a calm, listening ear, recognising that "yes, we know you do have a problem", encouraging them to be open with teachers and access any help going, but also accepting that this may be a problem I can't cure by bringing them back home, though I can always (even at 2 a.m. if need be) be that person who listens and doesn't freak. MH issues are horrible things, but they are also common and it helps to be able to talk openly without feeling the need to spare the other person.
Going up to meet seems a good idea, as this seems a new thing: I no longer go up at every crisis, but she knows that if things got really bad I would.

Thank you all. I hadn't thought of these ideas. Term finishes soon which is good. I have mental health issues, which is why DC felt they could confide in me, so I just tried to listen, as that helps me.

As well as seeing a GP and welfare officers, I would advise supporting your child in letting the department and or personal tutor know and making sure that your child understands what might be required to get extenuating circumstances in place for any upcoming assessments or exams. Often students are worried to come forward and when they do it can be too late and they have missed work or might fail the exam. It’s always a lot easier to work out support if there is time to be proactive rather than reactive.

It's only 10 days to the end of term, why not offer to pick them up as a treat?