Mental health of students is more important if not equally to improve academic and social ecosystem, believe medical experts and mentors. This comes on the back of National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) recently released guidelines on early identification of mental health issues of school students. “If mental health issues are not addressed during early childhood days, it can amplify later, which eventually can cause harm at individual level. This can also have an adverse impact at a domestic as well as social level,” Dr Maya Bora Khanna, clinical psychologist, told FE Education.
Even as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) survey revealed that 12-13% students in India suffer from psychological, emotional and behavioural conditions, experts fear that the number in reality can be higher. “Poor social connection is the primary reason for students to develop psychological disorders. Cognitive effort of teachers and parents together can help students to fight mental conditions,” Dr Neelam Mishra, a Delhi-based counsellor, psychologist, said.
Surprisingly, 81% school students in India have reported to experience anxiety and depression due to academic pressure, examination and result, revealed the NCERT survey. However, mentors believe that stress related to studies is not the only factor behind poor mental health. “Peer pressure, economic deprivation, unfulfilled parental expectations, social bullying, and family issues are also equally responsible for a child’s trauma and psychological condition,” Jonali Das, principal, Modern English School, Guwahati, said.
Furthermore, according to experts, massive increase in use of mobile phones and electronic devices affect the mental conditions of students to a large extent. “With the introduction of online-ecosystem, students are now exposed to a plethora of content. Instead of logical perception, school students tend to perceive them emotionally due to lack of maturity. Hence, their decisions and activities become unpredictable,” Mishra added.
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