Mental Health Awareness While Abroad

Robert Quigley, MD, D. Phil and Regional Medical Director, Americas Region for International SOS, found that often the stressful transition of moving into a new environment and new routine can cause underlying mental health issues to rise to the surface for students studying abroad. He wrote an article about this topic in the Huffington Post.

Quigley reported that students studying abroad are 23 times more likely to need repatriation assistance for mental health conditions than other travelers. ”It's especially concerning given that the number of students studying abroad is increasing each year,” Quigley wrote.

The number of international students coming into the U.S. last year has increased by 5.7 percent in 2011-2012 alone. The number of American studying overseas has grown from 114,000 in 1997-1998 to 274,000 in 2010-2011, according to the article.

To help solve this issue, Quigley wrote that first students and their families must understand that moving to college is a major life transitions for many students. This can bring up psychological difficulties or even create new problems for some. Later moving away from all family and peer support to study abroad within a new place with high academic standards can also cause deeper student depression or anxiety.

“The study abroad student may lack the emotional and cross-cultural coping skills to adapt or function in his or her chosen program. In some cases, the student could have a predisposition to mental illness and the stress of the "new" environment may actually trigger the problem,” Quigley reported in the article.

Quigley recommends that any student considering a studying abroad program should be honest with their school and parents regarding any existing mental health issues. Students also should confirm that their insurance provides mental health benefits while they are abroad. “Mental health resources may be extremely limited, if available at all. Even when services are available, the language barrier can easily preclude access,” Quigley wrote.

Quigley believes that all schools should provide access to educational support for students who want to study abroad. “To provide awareness, the student -- and parents or guardian -- should take an e-learning course that outlines various cultural issues and laws, as well as the signs and symptoms of common mental illnesses,” he said. Quigley also wrote that the home campus officials should help determine which study abroad location best serves each student’s needs.

“Scholastic duty of care is a dynamic responsibility. The home institution must continue to provide ongoing education to the students, as well as to the accompanying faculty, in the recognition and management of mental illnesses. Adherence to such a strategy will certainly help to mitigate the risk of a failed study abroad experience. And maybe it will help prevent unnecessary deaths,” he concluded.

Read the entire article here.