Not only studies in class, mental health of children is also important

While the main focus of the Indian education system is still on academic performance, the holistic development of students is often neglected. Mental health is not taught or given little importance in schools. The result is that students are not aware of their mental problems and ignoring them often leads to serious mental problems.

Senior psychologist and mental health activist Dr. Arvind Otta said that recent studies have shown that anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies are increasing rapidly among students. In such a situation, imparting mental health education in schools is the need of the hour.

Mental health education is needed

For early intervention: Schools are ideal places to identify mental health problems at an early stage if children are made aware of mental health problems from an early age.

resilience: Mental health education improves students' coping skills, enabling them to handle stress better and remain mentally resilient in the face of failure.

Reducing Stigma: There is still a stigma regarding mental health in Indian society. When it is included in school education, students understand mental health as a normal part of life and can seek help without fear.

Improvement in Academic Performance: Mental health is directly related to students' cognitive functioning and learning ability. A healthy mindset improves students' attention, memory and reasoning abilities, thereby improving their academic performance.

Improvement in social relationships: Mental health education makes students self-aware and empathetic, helping them build better relationships with their friends, teachers, and family.

Challenges faced in mental health education:

Traditional society is reluctant to talk about mental health and considers it a sensitive issue.
There is a shortage of trained counselors, especially in rural areas.
There is a fear of adding mental health stress to an already overloaded curriculum and adding more stress.

Solutions to Mental Health Education:

Integrating mental health education into the curriculum, training teachers, setting up counseling services, creating a safe and supportive environment and ensuring parental involvement can help raise awareness about the issue in society and help students develop a healthy mindset. Can help. Additionally, more work can be done on this issue by collaborating with non-profit organizations and mental health organizations.