Students are more likely to suffer mental illness than other young people, a new report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests.
The National Union of Students said that one in four students will experience a mental health problem during their studies.
Drug and alcohol misuse is a "serious concern", the psychologists suggest. The report recommends that universities provide stronger mental health programmes to ease the growing problem.
However, despite the fact that students are more likely to experience mental health problems, the problems are less likely to be serious and they are more likely to access help. Factors contributing to stress-related problems include the emotional demands of leaving home, coping with the contrast between school and university work, working independently, exams and money worries.
And students are being failed by cash-strapped NHS mental health resources as well as their universities, which are cutting back on support.
Dr Mike Hobbs, chairman of the student mental health working group at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "The growth of mental health problems among students, and the variability of mental health services for this vulnerable population, is a matter of considerable concern.
"It is vital that we develop high quality mental health services for all students who need them and that these services are adequately resourced."
The working party concluded that universities should develop stronger, structured mental health policies and written guidance to students to services available. They also call for better resourcing of on-campus counseling services, which students are more likely to access than NHS-run provision. Each university should also employ a mental health advisor to tackle the problem and co-ordinate response.
They also emphasised the need for the NHS to make itself more available to students by setting up dedicated student mental health services in areas with large student populations.
Dr Mark Phippen, head of counselling at Cambridge University and former chairman of the Heads of University Counselling Services, said that it was in universities' interests to take the problem seriously.
"Universities don't want students to drop out. So they take it seriously putting money behind things like students counselling services. But I'm sure that most universities could be doing considerably more. There is usually one counsellor for four to five thousand students, but one in four suffer problems. There is a disparity."
However, he emphasised the need for the NHS to put more into provision for students.
"Students are also members of the public and patients of the NHS and like anybody else they should be able to access NHS care. Students can be difficult patients in administrative terms in that they spend six to eight months at university and another month at home which may be the other side of the country. The NHS needs to take into account that students have particular living arrangements."
Helen Symons, executive member of the National Union of Students, said: "Student life is becoming more and more stressful, largely due to the ever increasing debt and hardship that students face.
"One in four students will have some mental health problem during their time at university and it is vital that students have access to a decent level of mental health provision.
"We are working to remove the stigma and misunderstanding around the issues of mental health and we cannot afford to lose talented students because they have not been able to access the help they need."
