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University fails to offer mental health programs

Cristina Dăescu, Ioana Pavel

A growing number of students in Bucharest face mental health issues but the university offers them little or no help. Dr. Manuela Tecută from the Cotroceni clinic, a psychiatrist who treats many students, said most of her patients sought help because they were suffering from anxiety and fatigue.

Over the years, she had noticed an increase in the number of students who seek medical attention for mental health problems.

“More and more come every year, and these are the ones that get sent by the school’s doctor or by the family doctor. But there are many more who aren’t diagnosed, and you get a 40 year old patient who tells you they felt sad since they were in their twenties,” she said. Approximately half of her patients require medication, the rest need either psychotherapy or food supplements like vitamins, magnesium, pollen, algae and other products.

College offers independence, excitement, new challenges and new friends. It can also be stressful and make some students feel sad. When the sadness last for weeks, and interferes with academic performance and social functioning, it may be a sign of clinical depression.

Universities around the world report an increase in psychological distress among students. According to a recent study, as many as one in three people suffers from some form of depression.



First year students are most likely to experience episodes of depression. The pressure of greater academic demands, changes in the social life, the burden of financial responsibility, the awareness of sexual identity and orientation, the insecurity of the future can all weigh heavy on a student’s mind.

Students who can’t adapt to their new environment may show signs of prolonged sadness, fatigue, sleeping and eating disorders, difficulty in concentrating or making decisions, heightened sensibility or irritability.

Students with these symptoms should seek medical attention. The treatment may take between three to six months and requires taking medication up to six months after the depression is gone. Clinically depressed people cannot get better by themselves, but they can be successfully treated by a mental health professional.

Thoughts of suicide are a sign of severe depression and young people are particularly at risk. Suicide is second to accidents as the highest cause of death for young men aged between 15 and 24. Suicidal behavior or impulses should always be taken seriously and medical attention is most necessary. As part of the treatment, hospitalization could be required.

We were unable to verify reports of student suicides, although such stories are very common.

Drugs for mental health disorders are generally expensive. For unemployed students, it’s hard to find the free drugs approved by the National Health Insurance Fund. Students end up having to pay up to an extra 100-200 RON to buy the drugs they need for their treatment.

Most students can’t afford or choose not to spend that kind of money on prescription medication, and they prematurely end their treatment. Psychotherapy, however, is not free even for students. It is quite expensive and can require several sessions per week in some cases.

“Some students discontinue their treatment after a month or so, when they start feeling better, but after 6-8 months they have a relapse and they come to see me again,” Dr. Tecută said. “The problem is that there is no social support system for mental health patients, there are no funds, there are no programs to raise awareness, there are no free clinics to offer counseling.”

Students say that they need some form of counseling, but the universities don’t offer this service. “The Center for Personal Development and Orientation from Regie was meant for this exactly. Unfortunately, they never got past the project phase and I don’t think they ever will. There is no qualified personal to do this and to do it for free, and I don’t know if the Polytechnics would invest in this kind of thing.” said Sorin Chircu, a fifth year student at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest who has been studying therapeutic methods and personal development.

Other mental health problems some students may suffer from include eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia, bipolar disorder, when cycles of depression alternate with cycles of elation, or the more sever schizoid and schizoaffective disorders and schizophrenia.

These can also be treated, either with psychotherapy or with medication, or with a combination of both. Hospitalization could be necessary.

Mental health issues are sensitive; people feel uneasy talking about the problems they might have and many refuse to admit to having problems. “Me and my friends, we need a psychologist. I don’t think anybody would admit it, because they mistake the psychologist for the psychiatrist.” said Raluca Panait, a second year architecture student.

Ultimul număr tipărit (mai 2007, format PDF):