Students reminded of exam stress text support

A Sussex health trust is reminding students of its texting-based mental heath support scheme ahead of exam results day.

Pupils awaiting results can access round-the-clock support for anxiety, stress and other mental health conditions by texting SUSSEX to 85258.

It is the third year running that the service, staffed by qualified mental health professionals, has been targeted to students.

Dr Oliver Dale, chief medical officer for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) , said: "It's normal to feel some anxiety but if those feelings are becoming overwhelming, it's important to seek help."

He added: "Waiting for and receiving exam results can be an anxious time for young people. "

The digital support project is a collaboration between SPFT and Shout, a free 24/7 mental health messaging service.

The text-based support service launched in Sussex in 2022 and is open to all ages throughout the year, but the trust said it had logged significant uptake in use when targeted to students around exams.

SPFT said it saw a 51% increase in engagement in October 2023 after targeting students starting university and a 34% increase in engagement when measured again near exam results time in August 2024.

The trust said low mood, suicidal thoughts and stress were among the top reasons people had contacted the service in the past.

Text SUSSEX signposts users to other services, including the Staying Well Crisis service and those at imminent risk of potential harm can see the matter escalated to Sussex Police.

Students will receive their AS, A-level and T-level results on Thursday and GCSE results day will follow on 21 August.