Opinion: Teach mental health in schools

By investing in mental health education, we are creating a generation that places mental well-being at the forefront

By Cherish Mundhra, Moitrayee Das

Hyderabad: As a society, we are growing exponentially in all fields, from AI to space exploration, from investing money in another planet to finding a cure for HIV, yet we overlook one of the most fundamental aspects of our lives: mental health. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam said the future of our nation depends on the quality of our youth, and the quality of our youth depends on the quality of their education.

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Today we teach our children about sex-ed, gender identity and goal setting, but we fail to provide them with tools and knowledge to help them navigate the complexities of their emotional and psychological world. India has the highest number of children and adolescents in the world, with a staggering population exceeding >;434 million (Hossian & Purohit, 2019). It begs the question: Why is mental health education not an integral part of school curriculums?

Alarming Statistics

The National Mental Health Survey conducted in 2015-16 sheds light on the alarming statistics that approximately 15% of Indian adults require immediate intervention for various mental health concerns, while one in 20 Indians grapples with depression (NIMHANS, 2016). This was also supported by WHO, which concluded that depression in 15-29-year-olds is the second leading cause of death. Student suicides are another prevalent issue in India with the number of suicides increasing from 1,29,887 in 2017 to 1,64,033 in 2021 (National Crime Record Bureau).

Gen Z, the digital natives, faces a lot of pressure due to the constant overload of information and the growing influence of social media among many other distractions in their daily lives. Studies have shown that excessive use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, can contribute to increased feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness among students (Smith, 2019).

It brings back the question of why mental health education is not integral to school curriculums. Schools are the primary institutional structure where children spend a significant portion of their time. From building peer relationships and learning social interactions to academic achievement, school shapes children into individuals who later contribute to the community. A study conducted in 2016 in Madhya Pradesh shows a disturbing result of high school students showing a higher prevalence of depression (Sakthivel et al, 2021).

Call for Change

It is high time teachers and parents stopped discarding the child’s emotion by saying, “ye bacho ko nahi hota” (This does not happen to children). Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2017 found that one in every seven individuals experiences various mental health issues which is approximately 197.3 million Indians. The same study also revealed a significant rise in psychiatric disorders.

As we teach students addition, subtraction and then calculus to form a foundation, in a similar framework, mental health curriculum can be implemented during critical stages of adolescence, probably from grades 5-6 onwards, when students start to experience significant changes in their lives. This way we can guide and equip children slowly and steadily with the necessary resources and knowledge to understand where and when to seek guidance.

We can start small by discussing the basics of mental well-being, promoting self-awareness, resilience and emotional intelligence. Interventions focused on mindfulness training and emotional literacy help students develop emotions and learn effective ways to manage those (Colomeischi et al 2022). Similarly, various social-emotional learning programmes have demonstrated their effectiveness in enhancing self-awareness, empathy and self-regulation skills, helping students forge meaningful connections with others (Colomeischi et al, 2022).

Challenges Remain

Empowering children with knowledge about mental health not only fosters personal growth and resilience within them but also contributes to a society that values mental well-being and actively works to break down the barriers of stigma surrounding mental health challenges. By investing in their mental health education, we empower Gen Z to be the driving force behind positive change, creating a generation that places mental well-being at the forefront and advocates for a world filled with empathy, compassion and inclusivity.