Student Mental Health in Europe: a new report from Nightline Europe.

Launched on 5 February 2025, Learning the Lessons summarises existing research on prevalence, determinants, and the cost of poor student mental health in Europe. The report also presents new data from Nightline Europe, based on almost 15,000 calls and online chats taken in 2023-4 by trained volunteers across member Nightlines in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland and the UK. These data provide unique insights into students’ needs and the factors impacting their well-being.

Students and young people are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health. In 2022, the European University Association reported that 

40% of Higher Education (HE) students in the EU experience mental health or well-being difficulties, with around one in five facing a mental disorder.

All students face the pressure to succeed academically, a pressure which is exacerbated by the cost of studying which, for many, leads to years of debt. Many students find themselves away from home for the first time, away from trusted networks of family and friends, feeling lonely or isolated. International students must also overcome cultural or linguistic barriers to integration and well-being.

Trends suggest that mental health challenges are on the rise. 

• In Ireland, the percentage of young adults aged 18-25 with severe or very severe depression rose from 14% to 21% between 2012-2019 (Dooley & Fitzgerald, 2012; Dooley et al., 2019). 
• In France, the rate of suicidal thoughts has doubled for 18-24 year olds, rising from 3.3% in 2014 to 7.2% in 2021 (Léon et al., 2024). 

Despite this, student mental health is under-researched and under-invested. Learning the Lessons found that there was little information specific to the student population in Europe and found a lack of consistency in defining mental health when addressed by policy- and decision-makers, creating the risk of confusion and inefficient or harmful implementation. 

Moreover, a lack of investment in student mental health has a crippling effect on our societies and economies: according to the WHO, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year globally to depression and anxiety, at an annual cost of US$ 1 trillion in lost productivity. 

👉 Upstream investment in prevention is much more cost-effective than dealing with the consequences of poor mental health. 

Given the cost of inaction for European students, societies and economies, much more can and should be done on both prevention and treatment for the mental health of young people. Poor mental health is not inevitable. Learning the Lessons sets out 7 recommendations for policymakers at European or national level to work with key actors such as Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and civil society organisations to better understand and reverse the trend on poor mental health for students across Europe. 

Through this inaugural report, Nightline Europe aims to shine a spotlight on mental health for students in Europe. Data from the Nightline Europe network also helps to fill the current gap in research, as well as demonstrating the importance of providing a listening ear for students who are struggling. 

Policymakers at both European and national levels now have an opportunity to take concrete action to improve students' mental health. Taken together, the findings from this report and the recommendations forming a blueprint for action can make a significant difference toward achieving well-being and brighter futures for millions of young people in Europe.