⬛ As we speak there is one suicide attempt every three seconds and one death by suicide every forty seconds by our youth. These statistics alone are alarming enough to take cognizance of the fact that mental health among students is going to be the next crisis.
In the current wake of the pandemic, WHO states that India is the most depressed country in the world. One in six children and teenagers aged between 10-19 years of age suffer from depression. As we speak there is one suicide attempt every three seconds and one death by suicide every forty seconds by our youth. These statistics alone are alarming enough to take cognizance of the fact that mental health among students is going to be the next crisis.
Currently, our students are stressed, worried and anxious about the uncertainties of the future. Students who are at the brink of their board exams; those who have got admissions into universities overseas or have completed their education and looking forward to starting new jobs are all stuck at crossroads, with no new beginnings.
⬛Most teenagers and adolescents have expressed feeling detached, lonely and extremely bored which creates a lot of frustration. Added to this, there is a sense of social detachment and a loss of social skills, group dynamics and relationships.
⬛There are many children who have turned towards the virtual world and virtual reality in creating friendships, interacting.
⬛This excessive online presence or screen time itself is creating mood swings, irritability, social withdrawal, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, difficulty with attention, focus and concentration, and further detachment from family or the real world.
⬛Families at home are also going through severe stress with conflicts, job stressors, financial problems, parental conflicts and even abusive relationships. These kinds of stressors and abuse also greatly increase the risk for emotional and psychological setbacks in children. Parents working from home and students’ online education make the whole work-life balance environment stressful at home.
🔎EFFECTS
As mental health professionals, we are also seeing a large surge of diagnosed mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, OCD and substance abuse. Setbacks with learning disabilities and dyslexia or dysgraphia are also emerging.
There is a significant loss of sports, play, movement, exercise, sleep, rest and outdoor activities. This leads to unhealthy diets, hygiene concerns, skin or hair related issues and emergence of multiple underlying medical concerns such as vitamin D3 deficiency, borderline diabetes, obesity, and increased lipid or cholesterol profiles.
🔎NCERT issues guidelines to schools for early identification of mental health problems in students
⬛Setting up of a mental health advisory panel, school based mental health programme and pedagogical support to ensure mental well- being of students and engaging parents are among the guidelines issued by NCERT for schools.
The guidelines for "Early identification and intervention for mental health problems in school going children and adolescents" have been released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) following a mental health survey among school children.
The survey report launched last week cited exams, results and peer pressure among major factors for stress and anxiety among school students.
🔎What we need to do:
⬛As parents and stakeholders in education, we need to understand that mental health is becoming a crisis, and yet we are riddled with taboos, myths, and stigmas that delay timely intervention. Research has indicated that the time between the onset of mental health concerns in children or teenagers and intervention or treatment is an average of eight to ten years.
⬛Schools need to incorporate social and emotional learning with mental health curriculum right from grade 1 to normalize conversations around the issues and bring about knowledge and awareness amongst students. We need to stop thinking about mental health as a weakness, a phase, or have the fear of being judged, labeled or medicated. We need to increase our knowledge and awareness with more intelligent information through the right channels, and not the internet.
⬛We need to constantly be aware and vigilant about the red flags in our students and children in order to propagate early intervention, an accurate diagnosis and a robust treatment profile. Earlier the intervention, better the recovery and progress.
⬛We have to keep our minds open and accept that sometimes certain conditions need medical treatments. Approach towards treatments need to be holistic in nature where one needs to balance physical health, spiritual health, gut health and psychological or emotional well-being. Sleep, supplements, healthy foods/ diets and exercise also contribute greatly towards mental health well-being.
⬛We need to constantly instill into our next generation the importance of 'resilience' which is the inner strength that comes with acceptability, adaptability, reflection, perseverance and healthy coping mechanisms to be able to withstand adversity, bounce back despite life's challenges and emerge stronger.
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