Mental health First Aid India

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Assuring Mental Wellbeing of Students in Campuses

2019-08-01

It is often portrayed in the entertainment media that student life is full of bliss and joy. Many students enter schools and colleges with millions of dreams of achievements. The educational institutions are fertile grounds where the raw power of the youth is nurtured into a greater potential. But unfortunately, some of these dreamers end their journey too soon.

Student suicides in India is an area of increasing concern to the government and educational institutions. Census 2011 data tells us that 48.97% of the Indian population are between the ages 5 and 30 which are the commonest ages in India to spend in an educational institution. This shows that nearly half of Indian population is in a classroom right now! Therefore, it is very important for us to take care of this section of the population as they are the country’s future pillars. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau reported 8934 students had committed suicide in the year 2015, which is an alarming data since it is on the rise every year.

As students spend most of their time at school/university, they are under the direct observation of their tutors and peers. Most of these suicides can be preventable if the behaviour changes are detected early by the peer groups. Unfortunately, 3 suicides within 60 days in a reputed university in Chennai reported recently and many counted before tells that more actions need to be taken in order to save lives.

Mental wellbeing of students and staff in Campus need to be assured effectively and this needs constant work and intervention.

Mental Health First Aid works extensively in educating campuses on how to respond to mental health problems at early stages. I share with you some of the key learning that institutions can use in this regard.

  1. Talk Mental Health in campus

The most important point to be noted when addressing suicides is the mental health of the person. Mental health has been a taboo in most societies in the world and India is no exception. Without campuses speaking about mental health in a non-judgmental way, it is difficult for students experiencing suicidal thoughts to come forward and talk about it.  Literacy on mental health among students and staff helps not only in reducing stigma as well as changing attitudes and behaviour towards people experiencing mental health problems. In a pilot study MHFA India conducted among 347 students from different department in Chennai, we noticed that knowledge on MH was high but behaviour and attitudes towards mental health problem and peers experiencing mental health problem was poor. For example, 58% students were not willing to share room with someone with mental illness and 57% of the students were not willing to see a psychiatrist.

Sporadic awareness sessions or talk on mental health does not seem to help beyond just information. Evidence based mental health education as part of curriculum in colleges and universities will help in bringing about the change in our actions towards mental health.

  1. Invest in Prevention and Early Identification

These days it is common to see lots of reports on students committing suicides whenever the results of a national/state level examination are published. Even though most of these cases appear to be momentary decisions, some suicides can be the result of long-standing mental health issues. It is time we, as public, play our role in prevention and early intervention. Mental health sounds complicated and difficult topic to talk about, yet there are practical learning first aid skills in case of mental health problem which have proved to help a big deal in early intervention. Just like we learn how to do CPR and help someone close to us to survive in those golden minutes, students and staff can learn to pick up signs and symptoms of developing mental health problem or crisis among peers. First Aid skills are practical and has shown that have saved lives.

  1. Enforce Minimum Standard

Student suicides happen across government and non-government higher educational institutions. This shows that the problem of student suicides is not a matter of a specific economical or class group. Therefore, actions need to be taken across and in an organised way. Existing guidelines from Central Government need to be applied across. State governments are requested to consider the 12 measures suggested by Justice Roopanwal Commission of Enquiry for higher education which can easily extend and can be adjusted for colleges and universities.  Presence of counsellors, therapist, mentors and education sessions among students and staff are few to mention as guidelines. It is up to the State Government to enforce the same and assure implementation across in the private and public higher educational institutions.

Human life is a great gift and it is in our hands to realize its value. A student who is given the right opportunities has all the chances of making himself as well as the nation proud. Educational institutions have the power to bring positive change of making the Campuses Mental Health friendly and help students realize their dreams come true. 


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