Sheffield lecturer emailed by students saying they felt like taking their own life

A Sheffield lecturer says that there is a crisis in student mental health and has been contacted by students who feel suicidal.
Lisa Bradley in Sheffield's Peace GardensLisa Bradley in Sheffield's Peace Gardens
Lisa Bradley in Sheffield's Peace Gardens

Lisa Bradley, a lecturer at The University of Sheffield, struggles to leave her work at the office because of the increase in students turning to her for mental health support.

She spoke as new figures show there has been a 41 per cent rise in the number of people referred to mental health services in Sheffield.

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She said: “I have had students emailing me saying that they want to take their own lives. Over the last couple of years I have had seven or eight emails like that. All you are allowed to do is point them to mental health support.

"A lot of students have dropped out due to struggling with isolation and their experience wasn’t what they thought it would be. It’s sad to think that people’s mental health issues will stop then doing what they want to do."

Lisa is a journalist and became a lecturer in the subject eight years ago, over which time she has seen students’ mental health deteriorate.

She added: “It’s hard to have boundaries. There are a lot of policies in place about how much time you should spend with students in theory.

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"I am a really empathetic person and I find it really difficult to leave it at the office.

"You can spend more time worrying about students than your own children. With social media students have 24 hour access. You can’t just ignore it, it would make us inhumane. The constant need from students is overwhelming.”

Lisa has written a book – The Lesson – a thriller, which is inspired by her experiences as a lecturer dealing with mental health issues.