Between living independently, an increased workload, and an often intense social life, university can be taxing, especially for students with pre-existing mental health conditions.

This page provides a comprehensive overview of all the support available to you while studying, both in and outside of the university. It also provides advice and tips that you can act on right away, and places where you can access immediate support.

External Support

Registering with a GP

Regardless of whether you are diagnosed with any long-term health conditions, you should make sure you’re registered with your local GP, preferably before you arrive at University.

At Durham, your university GP is Claypath. Their online patient registration service, contact details and address can be found online.

If you’re an international student, you can find a comprehensive guide to using NHS services on UKCISA.

Registering with your new GP in advance is especially important if you’re on a repeat prescription for any medications. While your prescriptions should automatically transfer over, the GP must review them and get in contact with your local pharmacy before you can begin collecting your medication. This process can take up to 2-3 working days, but it’s best to take any medication with you to university, to avoid running out.

NHS services

Once you’ve registered with Claypath, you’ll have access to a variety of NHS services. Your GP can advise you on which ones you’ll benefit from.

Of particular interest is the Durham and Darlington NHS Talking Therapies. This service offers free 1:1 therapies, guided self-help and group sessions for people suffering from stress, anxiety or depression, as well as panic, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder. The service is completely free and can be accessed remotely.

You can find out more or contact them via their website.

Support Within Durham University

University Wellbeing Advisors (PWAs)

An initial 1:1 appointment with a university wellbeing advisor is a good place to start if you want to access support in and outside of university. Your PWA will assess your individual needs and signpost you to the internal and external services you’ll benefit from most.

You can request a meeting with a PWA by emailing cmh.service@durham.ac.uk.

Disability Support Service

After disclosing your mental health condition to the university, you can be put in contact with a disability advisor. Your disability advisor will work with you to create a tailored DSP (disability support plan).

What is included in your DSP will depend on your individual needs, as well as your course. Some commonly available accommodations include:

• Exam access arrangements, such as extra time, rest breaks or a smaller exam room for in person exams
• Meetings with department or college staff as necessary
• Referrals to specialist support outside of the university
• Help with applying for DSA, if you don’t already have it

More information about Durham’s Disability Support Service, including contact details, can be found here.

University Counselling

The University can provide short term/individual 1:1 counselling and advisory sessions. These are not the same as CBT or psychotherapy, but they can give you a safe space to reflect, or identify goals in both your mental health treatment and your life more generally.

Contact cmh.service@durham.ac.uk if you think you might be interested in using the service.

College Support

All students, regardless of where they live and what year they’re in, have access to their college support team.

Each College has a dedicated student support team to support you throughout your time at Durham University. This team can help you if something in your college is impacting your wellbeing and signpost you to other support services across the University.

A list of contacts for various college wellbeing teams can be found on Sharepoint.

Supporting Yourself While Studying

Content warning: This section includes references to self-harm. Please proceed only if you feel comfortable.

Make a Safety Plan

If you experience suicidal thoughts or the desire to self-harm, having a readily accessible safety plan can protect you during a crisis.

Even if you don’t feel you need one right now, it's worth making one just in case.

Guidance on making a safety plan, and templates, can be found at Staying Safe.

Manage Your Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important contributors to good mental health. In university, other commitments, such as work or socialising, can interrupt your sleeping patterns.

If you suffer from a mental health condition, getting a good nights’ sleep (at least 8-9 hours a night) is essential. To ensure you manage your sleep effectively, you can:

• Decide on a specific time to go to bed every evening and wake up every morning and stick to it
• Set two alarms; one for waking up, and one telling you when to stop what you’re doing and go to bed
• Avoid electronic devices for up to an hour before bed, as they produce blue light which stops you from sleeping
• Make sure your sleeping space is quiet, dark and comfortable. If there is excessive noise, consider investing in earplugs, and have a conversation with your housemates if necessary.
• Try listening to things like soft music or white/brown noise; some people find it beneficial

Insomnia often occurs co-morbidly with other mental health conditions, especially anxiety. If you struggle with insomnia, talk to your GP. You can find more information on insomnia treatments here.

Eat Well

Eating a consistent and healthy diet is extremely important in maintaining good mental health. Depression and anxiety can suppress your appetite, or make it difficult to cook for yourself. Some steps that you can take to make cooking easier during a mental health crisis include:

• Not skipping meals, especially breakfast
• Making sure you have quick, healthy snacks like nuts, fruit and breakfast bars to hand, so you have something to eat even if you don’t feel up to cooking at all
• Preparing meals that are easy to eat and swallow, like yoghurt or soup
• Stocking up on easy-to-cook tinned and frozen foods
• Cooking and freezing healthy meals for later when you feel up to it

Dietary or herbal supplements can be helpful for some, but vary in effectiveness. If you want to take supplements, do your research and always buy them from a reputable retailer. Contact your GP if you have any concerns, especially if you’re already taking prescribed medication.

For many people struggling with their mental health, food can pose a particular challenge. Specific advice on dealing with eating disorders can be found here. You don’t have to face it alone; the rest of the support listed on this page is available to you, and we encourage you to reach out.

Drink Responsibly

Alcohol can provide short-term relief from symptoms of depression and anxiety, but destabilises your brain chemistry in the long-term, worsening your mental health overall.

Using alcohol or any other substance as a form of relief can make you dependent on it, and create an addiction.

Stay Active

Studies have shown that physical activity has extremely positive effects on the brain, improving mood and helping to manage stress, amongst other things. Although finding to motivation to exercise can often be difficult, even small amounts of activity, like going for a short walk, doing push-ups in your room, yoga, and stretching can give you these benefits.

As well as the DU teams, Durham has lots of welcoming and beginner-friendly sports societies, especially in the colleges. It’s never too late to take up a sport, and having a community to do it with can help you stick with it, and make it more enjoyable. A list of Durham’s sports societies can be found here.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D, absorbed naturally through sunlight, contributes greatly to mood and overall mental well-being. Durham’s climate can make it hard to maintain a healthy level of Vitamin D, especially during the winter months. Deficiencies can worsen pre-existing mental health conditions.

Spend time outdoors regularly, and consider taking over-the-counter vitamin D supplements during autumn and winter, especially if you experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

Immediate Contacts

If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, contact your GP for a same-day consultation, or call 111 if it is out of hours. If you believe your life is in immediate danger or that you can’t keep yourself safe, you should call 999 immediately.

Shout provides 24/7 over-the-phone or instant messaging support for people in crisis. Their website also provides resources to help with a variety of mental health conditions in the short-term and long-term.

The Samaritans provide a 24/7 over-the-phone confidential listening service for people in crisis.

Durham Nightline is a volunteer-run confidential listening service, which can be accessed by phone or instant messaging from 21:00-07:00, Friday to Tuesday during term time. They can be contacted for minor or major support.

If a particular incident or interaction on campus, such as discriminatory or sexual harassment, is causing you distress, you can find information on how to report it here.

Page last reviewed: 09/12/2025