Students in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK are increasingly suffering excessive stress and/or mental health difficulties. Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are chronic bodily symptoms for which tests and scans return without a diagnosis. Conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, IBS etc. mostly affect young people, non-native speakers and women. All these populations are found in high numbers in HEIs. It is acknowledged chronic stress can lead to, or exacerbate, mental health difficulties and/or MUS. Sometimes MUS appear before any mental health issue although frequently MUS is associated with anxiety and depression.

Mind will soon be launching an exciting new pilot programme with 10 Universities across England and Wale. This programme will see local Minds deliver tried and tested models of building mental health literacy, peer support, and resilience, to prevent mental health problems before they arise.
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​In the next two years they will have a variety of opportunities (paid and voluntary) to get involved in designing, developing and reviewing our programme content and to share your experiences of mental health at university.