Mental health during your studies: you are not alone!

We think so: That has to change. The online platform Instahelp shows how this can be achieved in the future. It offers low-threshold, location-independent, confidential and, above all, rapid psychological counselling for those affected.

Our graduate Tina Carina Wellman works in Digital Marketing & Social Media at the Styrian start-up. She completed a Bachelor's degree in Health Management and Health Promotion at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences as well as the former Master's degree in Health Management and is now actively campaigning for the removal of taboos surrounding mental health. You can find the study by Instahelp and Studo here.

It's particularly important to get help quickly when you're mentally unwell. Do you think that the Instahelp digital platform is a step in the right direction in this respect?

Tina: Yes, I definitely think so. Instahelp offers low-threshold access to psychological counselling online and in a timely manner. There are people who have been struggling for a long time with whether they should seek psychological counselling and wait until the level of suffering is very high. But then, when help is urgently needed, those affected usually have to wait several weeks or even months for an appointment at a local counselling centre.

The great advantage of Instahelp is that the psychologists get in touch within 24 hours to arrange an appointment. The initial consultation usually takes place within a week. The online service is also flexible and can be used at a time that suits you. Counselling sessions also take place at the weekend and in the evening. This means that those affected don't have to travel to a local practice and search for a parking space and can easily integrate psychological counselling into their everyday life alongside their studies, job, hobbies, family, etc.

Instahelp also cooperates with major insurance companies such as Allianz and Merkur Versicherung. Insured persons benefit from a free quota of psychological counselling online at Instahelp.

Can this digital exchange replace face-to-face counselling? Especially when it comes to digital natives or young people who have grown up with the digital world?

Tina: The question here is not whether one replaces the other - it's more about the willingness of those affected. Whether digital natives or baby boomers, the effectiveness of psychological help is not determined by the setting, i.e. whether it takes place online or offline, but by the willingness to change and the relationship between the person seeking help and the psychologist (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2012).

Jasmin: Psychological counselling online at Instahelp is based exclusively on personal communication with a clinical and health psychologist with at least three years of experience and university training in online counselling. The advantages of digitalisation make the platform so innovative and exciting! Counselling can be used regardless of location, even anonymously if required. Users can choose between video, audio or text chat - we are geared towards all needs to take the first step towards counselling on issues relating to mental well-being.

It makes the step of seeking help much easier when it can be done easily from the comfort of your living room couch with just a few clicks. Due to the low-threshold access, we are also noticing a change in the gender distribution of our customers. We are pleased that we are attracting more and more men as customers for counselling.

Have you noticed a rethink among students and young people regarding the importance of mental health?

Jasmin: The number of students who took part in the Mental Health Barometer alone showed us that they are thinking very intensively about the topic of mental health. We received over 8,400 responses. Unfortunately, more than half of the participants described their mental health as less good to poor. The awareness of personal health is definitely there and the desire for more balance and time for one's own needs is great. 

Do you have any tips on how to break the taboo subject in everyday student life?

Tina: I can still remember my student days very well: I was sitting in a lecture theatre and had no idea exactly what the lecturer meant because I didn't understand some of the foreign words. That really stressed me out and I didn't feel well mentally. I didn't dare to ask the lecturer or my fellow students. Everyone seemed to know exactly what was meant. That really hurt my self-esteem. In later semesters, we talked about the start of our degree programme and realised that there were quite a few students who didn't understand a lot of things in this particular lecture. If we had talked about it straight away, it would certainly have been easier for all of us.

What I'm trying to say is that open communication is very important: mutual understanding and acceptance are also key factors that contribute to removing taboos. Universities of applied sciences and universities need to create the right framework conditions to promote and strengthen students' mental health.

Now the cost factor is - rightly - still a hurdle for many young people when it comes to taking the step towards professional support. That's why I'm going back further: what do you think people can do in advance to strengthen their mental health in everyday life?

Tina: Fortunately, there are a few things that everyone can do preventively. There are three main areas that influence our mental health: Our mindset, our behaviour and our social contacts. Taking this knowledge into account, everyone can consider for themselves what they can do in which area.

Here are some examples:

• Mindset: Emphasise feelings rather than suppress them, focus on the positive
• Behaviour: Create routines, consciously use relaxation phases, set achievable goals
• Social contacts: Plan meetings with friends or family, exchange ideas via phone calls

In addition to great apps, there are also some social media sites that already offer high-quality content on mental health. We at Instahelp also regularly publish posts and reels on our Instagram account. Feel free to stop by and follow us. It's definitely worth it.

The step towards external help - i.e. support from a psychologist - is also an act of self-care. When should you take the step from self-help to external help?

Jasmin: In principle, it's never too early to seek outside help. Above all, however, it would be advisable as soon as we realise that an issue has been bothering us intensively for more than two weeks, that our thoughts are constantly revolving around this situation and that we may already be experiencing difficulty falling asleep or sleeping through the night, increased irritability or even listlessness in everyday life. It is comparable to going to the doctor when we feel physically ill and ailing. We are usually not afraid to do this. It would be desirable to see the step towards psychological (online) counselling as a natural support and as an added value to improve our quality of life.

Would you like to briefly describe how you felt about your degree programme at FH Burgenland and what it has given you for your future career?

Tina: For me, my Bachelor's degree programme was very formative for my future professional and personal career. I was able to use a lot of what I learnt during my studies for myself personally, for example from the lectures on coaching, communication and health sports. As many of the lecturers come directly from the field, they provided good insights and tips that I was able to put to good use.

I went straight into the healthcare sector during my internship and stayed. I found my passion here in marketing. The content of my degree programme was very relevant. After all, marketing in the healthcare sector requires a basic knowledge of the Austrian healthcare system. As I started out working specifically in hospital marketing, I was able to benefit greatly from lectures such as hospital management. Healthcare and marketing are two particularly exciting fields and combining them makes it all the more exciting. 

We at FH Burgenland want you as a student to know: You are not alone with your problems. Your well-being is important to us! If you feel like you're in over your head, don't keep it to yourself: talk about it with friends or family. Even seeking psychological counselling is not a sign of weakness and can take a lot of weight off your shoulders. In addition to Instahelp, another point of contact for psychological stress and problems is, for example, Austria's psychological student counselling service.

Since March 2023, we have also been focusing even more intensively on the mental health of our students in the "Studo-Fit" project at FH Burgenland. Click here for the Studo-Fit information platform . If you want to do something preventive for your own mental health, you should listen to the podcast episode with our lecturer of the Bachelor of Health Management and Health Promotion Barbara Szabo.