Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day. Across our country, and across the world, people’s mental well-being is deteriorating. That includes those who, in theory, are amongst the more advantaged, namely our students. All Assembly Members bar one have signed the student mental health pledge, supported by Time to Change and Mind Cymru. It is our duty to ensure that those starting the most exciting, but the most stressful time of their lives have the mental health protection they need and are not deterred from seeking help because of the stigma attached to mental illness. 

The 500 per cent increase in the number of first-year students disclosing mental health conditions is alarming. Our universities and colleges have instituted a wide range of student support services, frequently delivered by their commendable peers. The loneliness of being away from home for the first time can be overwhelming, the expectation of making new friends too daunting. More seriously, if they are being bullied or blackmailed, there is specialist help available.

The revenge porn helpline highlights that criminals are targeting freshers, who spike their drinks and then use compromising photos to blackmail them. It is essential that people are not too embarrassed to seek help. Paying the ransom blackmailers demand is not a solution. At the most serious end of the problem, student suicide can only be combated by specialist health services working closely with universities and colleges.