Studying is likely to bring a number of changes to your life. Hopefully it should be enjoyable and interesting, but it can also be challenging – especially if you're also living with a mental health problem. You might face challenges such as:

• meeting and working with new people
• exams, deadlines for written work or presentations
• managing your own finances
• coping with homesickness
• balancing the demands of studying with other commitments
• maintaining relationships with family and old friends
• leaving home, finding new housing and living with new people

Coping with new challenges can have an impact on your mental health, but there are lots of things that you can do to make your time as a student easier and more enjoyable.

The tutors who I chose to open up to were supportive. It was as a result of asking for help that I realised that with a few adjustments I would be able to finish my course, and nobody thought any less of me.

Students are also at somewhat higher risk of developing mental health problems. This could be because of:

• Your age – many students are young people, and for many people this is the age when you first develop a mental health problem.
• Stress – becoming a student can be a stressful experience. Although stress isn't a mental health problem, it can lead to mental health problems like depression and anxiety. See our pages on stress for more information.
• Lack of support – you might have left home for the first time, or just don't have enough time to see your friends and family. Not having a good support network can make you vulnerable to developing a mental health problem.