Bristol Mayor urges more action to promote student wellbeing

Natasha Abrahart was a second-year student at the University of Bristol when she died

The Mayor of Bristol is pressing for more action to be taken to promote good mental health for students in the city.

Marvin Rees said not enough was being done to reduce the rate of suicides at Bristol's universities.

He called for more investment into wider mental health support during his latest fortnightly press conference.

"The public health approach is not when you're in crisis, it's how you build wellbeing in the first instance, building resilience," he said.

"Public health interventions need to begin from an early age," he said, adding that missed opportunities "happen all the time" according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Student suicides in Bristol have been brought back into the spotlight after a judge ruled the University of Bristol had discriminated against a student who killed herself in 2018.

Natasha Abrahart, 20, was found dead on the day she was due to give a presentation to a large audience, despite having social anxiety disorder.

The university said it might appeal against the ruling.

The University of Bristol said changes had been made to services since the death of its former student Natasha Abrahart

Both the University of Bristol and the University of West of England have faced sustained scrutiny for the mental health support they provide to students, amid several deaths in recent years.

Mr Rees said action was also required before young people reach university.

"It's difficult for universities, because that pathway on mental health doesn't start at age 18 or 19 when someone arrives at university," he added.

"All the resilience that we build up in our mental health starts very young.

"You start pre-birth, actually, and then you build up resilience as you go.

"Or, you're slowly dismantled as you go through life, if you don't get the support."

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