There has been a fivefold increase in the number of students declaring a mental health difficulty to their institution over the last decade, leaving student services struggling to meet demand. There is universal concern about the increasing prevalence of suicide and self-harm in this demographic group. It is likely that problems accessing appropriate evidence-based mental health care are not borne equally across the student population in London, but this question has not yet been investigated.
This PhD project is investigating access to mental health care for different groups of students in London. Routine data is being collected from participating NHS mental health services and GP practices, and patterns of inequality in access will be analysed.