A survey of more than 2,300 higher education students in Portugal revealed that 40% of students take psychotropic drugs weekly, more than 60% report feeling exhausted, and 41% are described as sad and depressed.
“We are concerned about the results of the study. We have long been warning about this type of situation and advocating for the need to implement preventive measures. Now we realize that the reality is even more severe than what we were saying,” stated Pedro Neto Monteiro, president of the Lisbon Academic Federation (FAL), to Lusa.
In addition to the 40% of students who regularly consume psychotropics, one in ten takes amphetamines or stimulants, according to the study that reveals high levels of ‘burnout’ among young people and a lack of psychological support.
The desire is revealed in the same study, which concluded that 2,300 students have high levels of ‘burnout’ and lack psychological support.
Lusa | 08:00 – 20/06/2025
In light of the findings from the study coordinated by psychologist Tânia Gaspar from Lusófona University, the FAL president argues that preventive policies need immediate implementation.
“The mental health of students cannot continue to be treated as a footnote in public policies. The diagnosis is clear. What is missing is the political courage to act,” criticized Pedro Neto Monteiro.
The FAL advocates for the implementation of a set of proposals in the field of mental health and pedagogical innovation and demands a “national response commensurate with the severity of the crisis experienced in Higher Education.”
The priority measure involves hiring more psychologists “to ensure the ratio of one psychologist per 500 students,” argued Pedro Neto Monteiro, suggesting that with these professionals, it is possible “to tackle both preventive and reactive action.”
The FAL also wants a “network of mental health services in various higher education services with common policies to the various academic realities of the region,” said the FAL president, acknowledging that such a network already exists but, in his view, “needs restructuring.”
Regarding the psychologist vouchers, which are also already in place, Pedro Neto Monteiro considers they “need to be expanded because there are still students who need this support and remain excluded.”
The study “Healthy Learning Ecosystems in Higher Education Institutions in Portugal” concludes that the priority areas of intervention in universities are those related to well-being and mental health.
The research involved 2,339 students aged 17 to 35 and was conducted by the Observatory of Healthy Learning Environments and Youth Participation. It analyzed various dimensions related to the organizational culture and the environments where students operate in the academic context.
In statements to Lusa, the study’s coordinator, Tânia Gaspar, noted that this investigation showed that 40% of academic students take psychotropics—a figure aligned with European data—and emphasized: “This is a failing of the National Health Service, because if we worked more on prevention and had quicker responses, they would not need medication.”
