TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Amid rising awareness of mental health issues, Taiwanese universities have started implementing "mental health leaves" to support students experiencing emotional stress.
Starting in 2022, a university in Taipei introduced a policy offering five mental health leaves per semester, with no requirement for an official doctor's note when students need a day off.
However, if a student requests two consecutive mental health leaves, professors will reach out to them to offer additional counseling services.
"Our system will alert our guidance and counseling department when students request mental health leave," Taipei Medical University's Vice Dean of Student Affairs Tsung Wei-li said.
"The system will also send an automated email to notify our counselors to call the students to check on them and ask if they need assistance or further counseling."
Approximately 20 universities in Taiwan, accounting for about 10% of higher education institutions, provide mental health leave for students.
Taipei Medical University reported that between October 2022 and July 2023, around 29 students applied for these leaves.
Statistics indicate that most users are freshmen and sophomores, with female students outnumbering male students in taking mental health leaves.
As more universities grapple with the challenge of offering similar services, experts express concerns about whether the available counseling resources are adequate.
Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy President Chang Yu-meng remarked, "In fact, the manpower of guidance counseling in higher institutions has long been insufficient, leading to many counselors shouldering heavy workloads."
While many remain optimistic that schools will eventually meet the demand for guidance counselors, experts persistently urge universities to allocate more resources toward hiring additional staff to support students.
The Ministry of Education revealed that the number of students on suicide watch increased eightfold between 2016 and 2020, underscoring the urgency of addressing mental health challenges.
With growing stress related to social media use and academic pressures, schools must prioritize creating suitable channels to assist their students.