Article compiled by Paula Slier and first published on Forbes Africa on the 25th of April 2026.
Stock Photo: Getty Images
On university campuses across the country, is a silent crisis deepening? Behind the chatter of lecture halls and the busy late-night library runs, studies indicate many students are grappling with anxiety, depression and burnout.
A landmark 2020 nationwide survey–the National Student Mental Health Survey–of South African university students found that 37.1% reported one or more anxiety disorders, and 16.3% mood disorders over the previous 30 days. These figures place South African learners among the most at-risk globally.
While this remains the most comprehensive study on mental health on South Africa’s university campuses to date and is still widely quoted, this is not an isolated finding. Similar trends have been echoed in subsequent regional and global research, pointing to a persistent and widespread mental health burden among students. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis from the South African Medical Research Council found that 6.7% of South African youth experience anxiety disorders, while 17.6% have post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I’ve struggled with anxiety around my academic performance as well as my social life,” says Mo Lekalakala, a first-year media studies student.
“I feel immense pressure to succeed academically–almost as if I need to make up for qualities I believe I lack. It’s left me, at times, not wanting to get out of bed and go to class, escaping into avoidance instead.”
Lekalakala’s concern runs deeper than just deadlines. “It’s very common,” she observes.
My classmates are now dealing with adult responsibilities–things like contributing at home, juggling part-time work, and facing the consequences of their own decisions. It depresses them that, outside of their personal challenges, their studies are no longer an escape but another burden.
Moagi Ramotsho Kgatle, a 19-year-old film and television student from Springs, offers a similar view.
“I’ve experienced anxiety and a bit of low self-esteem, mostly because there are so many people of different ages and intelligence levels at college,” he says.
“I used to doubt my own intelligence, which affected my mental health. I became timid in class, hesitant to answer questions, and doubted my ability to do well on assignments. Everyone at college brings their own personal challenges into the classroom–family issues, financial stress, social pressures–and the workload, deadlines and need to pass just add to it.”
Experts say isn’t just about individual stress but a structural shift. Freedom Munukha, a leadership-and-change facilitator working with young people in education, traces the rise in mental-health issues to the era of social media and mounting academic demands.
“Platforms that were meant to connect people have slowly redefined self-worth through comparison and validation,” he says.
“Every achievement is broadcast online, and value is increasingly tied to public recognition rather than personal growth. At university, many students lose the parental and community support systems that once kept them grounded–moving away from home means less daily guidance, while the peers who once encouraged them now become competitors.”
He points out that while many institutions have wellness offices, peer-support networks and mindfulness programs, access remains uneven.
“Services are often overwhelmed or under-resourced, and stigma still prevents many students from seeking help.”
Cultural and environmental factors also play a significant role. Penni Cox, a registered psychologist and founder of Alive Eco-Journeys, underscores that the problem lies in disconnection; from the self, from nature, and from community.
“Unresolved multiple traumas numb young people towards themselves,” she says. “They have not been taught how to connect with natural spaces–which carry proven physical and mental-health benefits–and their communities are often unstable or under stress. That disconnect and isolation fuel poor mental-health outcomes.”
To address this, she says students need to engage in experiences that reconnect them holistically: “When we walk for 90 minutes in nature, rumination–a key symptom of depression and anxiety–is significantly reduced”.
“Teaching young people what it means to truly belong in this world, to be in reciprocity with nature and a kind community, begins to dissolve isolation.”
Practical tools matter too. Leigh Joy, a counsellor and coach, runs programs based on the “self-care tripod model”, which emphasizes three pillars: connecting with the sacred or purpose, authentic self-care, and healthy relationships.
Her advice is simple and actionable: hydrate well, take a two-hour reminder to just breathe, pause every 45 minutes, and create something you enjoy.
“A hydrated brain creates sharper, more balanced thinking. Clearer thoughts equal balanced feelings [which] equals smarter actions,” she says. “Create something, have fun… surround yourself with people who genuinely want the best for you.”
The mental-health concern on South African campuses is more than a collection of individual stories; it reflects a society wrestling with legacy inequities, systemic stress and rapid change.
Until support networks become as visible as ambition, and rest is seen as integral to success, the crisis will persist quietly–in dormitories, lecture halls and the minds of young people who are trying to hold everything together.
