30 year old Fay Yu arrived in Canberra from China in 2009 to study nutrition at the University of Canberra.
It was a major culture shock, trying to adjust to life in a new country with no family and limited English. "That first 3 or 4 months I feel really depressed, really low mood and I actually couldn't found who can actually help me so it was a really low time for me."
She says she got involved in university life and took steps to improve her English to better fit in.
Ms Yu says many of her fellow international students often became withdrawn and isolated as the pressures of their new life became too much.
She says many didn't seek help or support. "As Chinese we are usually being really shy we don't really want to speak about our problems or issues and not mention going to a psychologist about mental problems."
And a Victorian Coroner has found there is a reluctance by international students to seek support for mental health issues.
It follows an investigation into the death of a 24 year old Chinese student Zhikai Lui who took his own life in 2016.
In her findings coroner Audrey Jamieson said his sister had stated he had trouble with his studies and the English language, and consequently his mental state deteriorated; and she encouraged him to seek assistance from a counsellor, but he did not do so.
Monash University Sociologist, Dr Helen Forbes-Mewett says it's common for international students not to seek out help for mental health issues."Some of them do come from very different culture where it is not actually recognized as a health issue and so therefore its very difficult for them to think of it along the same terms as what we do".
The report also concluded that between 2009 and 2015 there were 27 international student suicide deaths.
Of those only 22 per cent sought help through a mental health service in the six weeks before their death. compared to 57 per cent of Australian-born student suicide deaths.
But Dr Forbes-Mewett says it shouldn’t just be up to universities to provide improved access to mental health support. "I think the responsibility also lies with universities, home and hosed governments, families and the students themselves to realising how difficult can challenging it can be taking on international education can be and be aware of those challenges."
Beyond Blue's Dr Grant Blashki says seeking out a health professional when first arriving in the country can also be beneficial. "To me it’s really a call for these young students to link in with health care providers even when they’re well so that they’ve got a link into the network and our terrific mental health services in Australia if the wheels start to fall off and they're having a tough time."
The coroner has also called for universities and other educational institutions to be forced to notify the coroner of any death of an international student.
Please Note: If you need support and information about suicide prevention, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
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