Classroom stress: Not just studies in the classroom, mental health is also important! Know how it can change the lives of children

The main focus of the Indian education system is still on academic performance, in which the complete development of students is often ignored. Education on mental health is either not given at all in schools or is given very little importance. The result is that students are unaware of their mental problems and ignoring them sometimes leads to serious mental problems.

Senior Psychologist and Mental Health Activist Dr. Arvind Otta said that recent studies have shown that anxiety, depression, and even suicidal tendencies are increasing rapidly among students. In such a situation, giving mental health education in schools has become the need of the hour.

Need for Mental Health Education

For early intervention: Schools are a suitable place to identify mental health problems at an early stage. If children are taught about mental health from an early age, then any problem can be treated in time.

Ability to cope with adversity: Mental health education improves students' resilience, allowing them to handle stress better and remain mentally strong when faced with failure.

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

Improving academic performance: Mental health is directly related to students' cognitive functions and learning ability. A healthy mindset improves students' attention, memory power, and reasoning ability, which improves their academic performance.

Improving social relationships: Mental health education makes students self-aware and empathetic, which helps them build good relationships with their friends, teachers, and family.

Challenges faced in mental health education
The traditional society hesitates to talk about mental health and considers it a sensitive issue.

There is a shortage of trained counselors, especially in rural areas.

Adding mental health education is feared to add more stress to an already overcrowded curriculum.

Solutions for 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 make it a success. Mental health education will help bring awareness about this subject in society and help students develop a healthy mindset. Apart from this, more work can be done on this issue by collaborating with non-profit organizations and mental health institutions.

(PC: Freepik)