Survey shows pandemic taking toll on students' mental health
Ljubljana, 6 April - The Slovenian Student Organisation has raised concern after a survey conducted by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has shown almost one out of four students have experienced suicidal thoughts during the epidemic.
The survey, conducted between November and January, showed 89% out of 484 students surveyed had experienced mood swings such as anxiety and depression in the past four weeks.
Almost 24% reported experiencing suicidal behaviour. They also reported anxiety, despondency, crying episodes, depression and panic attacks.
Commenting on the results for Radio Slovenija, psychologist Tomaž Vec called them horrific. "One in four students is thinking about suicide. It's a piece of information that should prompt the state into action."
The Student Organisation (ŠOS) said the results should lead to a thorough change in the measures aimed at containing coronavirus transmissions.
They noted their calls for state aid to compensate students for a loss of income and reopening colleges as soon as possible to allow lectures and practical classes to resume in-person.