Breaking the Stigma- Mental Well-being of our learners

Mental health is defined by one’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being and it plays a very crucial role in all stages of life. Mentally healthy individuals will show affection, positivity, resilience, curiosity, self-control and persistence.

?Our mental health determines how we make choices and handle stress. If it gets affected, our behaviour, mood, and thinking, everything gets impacted. The way we deal with the world, gets impacted.

Earlier, these problems were identified only among adults and were happening due to biological factors, family history, and life experiences such as abuse and trauma. But now, young learners in schools and colleges are getting affected and face anxiety and sometimes depression due to the amount of stress caused by competition, performance pressure, peer pressure, bullying, relationship with classmates, impact of social media, fear of rejection and exploration of identity.

Adolescence is a unique and formative time. It is a crucial period for developing social and emotional habits important for mental well-being. Physical, emotional and social changes, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Panic or excessive worry are most prevalent in this age group. It is estimated that around 5% of 10-19 year-olds experience an anxiety disorder. Globally, one in seven 10-19 year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group. The consequences of failing to address adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults. Emotional disorders and eating disorders accompanied in most instances by concerns about body weight and shape are also found to be common in this age.

What needs to be done?

Stakeholder engagement-

All stakeholders including educational institutions, parents, educators and support groups need to come together to tackle the issue of mental illnesses. The mental health programmes need to be designed and a positive ecosystem needs to be developed. Protective and supportive environments in the family, at school and in the wider community are important.

Development of Life Skills from an early age-

?Measures that need to be ensured include - adopting healthy sleep patterns; exercising regularly; developing coping, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills; and learning to manage emotions.

Diagnosis and Support-

Children with mental health disorders are mostly undiagnosed and parents are hesitant in seeking help or treatment. According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry in 2019, even before the pandemic, at least 50 million children in India were affected with mental health issues; 80 – 90 per cent have not sought support. Thus, the access to the necessary support needs to be ensured at all levels of the education system.

Writing and talking about mental health-

?The more and more mental health is written about the more likely the society is to forget about all false notions that surround the topic of mental health. Writing and open discussions about mental health will help reach these growing numbers and make the adolescents aware of what they are facing and how they can beat it. We need to break the stigma of talking about mental health and seeking support so that children can have better life outcomes.

Promoting socio-emotional learning and psychological well-being-

Providing an easy access to mental health care can ensure the protection of adolescents from adversity of the illness. Prevention interventions should aim to?strengthen an individual's capacity to regulate emotions, enhance alternatives to risk-taking behaviours, build resilience for managing difficult situations and adversity.

?Adopting the multi-level approach-

The efforts require a multi-level approach with varied delivery platforms?–?for example, digital media, health or social care settings, schools or the community – and varied strategies to reach adolescents, particularly the most vulnerable.

Appointing skilled counsellors-

?Psychologists/ counsellors are gradually becoming an indispensable part of the educational institutions and even other industries or organizations.?They provide their inputs for evaluation, assessments, and data analysis. Institutions should invest in employing school psychologists who do not just help in enhancing the school curriculum by suggesting some vital changes but also provide psychological support, advice and guidance to the learners. They must maintain an informal relationship with the students so that the students feel comfortable to walk into their cabins at any time and seek their support in resolving issues that can impact their emotional well-being.

Training the teachers-

?By providing appropriate training to all the teachers and by equipping them with the right knowledge and skill, institutions can ensure an early detection of the illness. Guidelines that can support in making action plans need to be established.

Sensitisation of the interested parties-

Regular platforms can be provided to various stakeholders to enable them to appreciate the fact that being affected by mental health problems is not the end of the world. Students and parents need to know that they are not alone in their journey and that they do matter to the world. Adolescents suffering from mental health can be treated, can get better, and can recover completely.

Adolescents are the future of the world. Let's pay some extra attention to their current and future needs. After all, happiness of our children is what matters at the end of the day. Everything else can wait!