Representational Photo/ Pixabay Image
Khrutalu Dozo
Immanuel College
Good mental health is crucial for a healthy life as it includes our psychological, emotional and social well-being. According to the American Psychological Association, mental- health problems among the students have been rising since the 1990s. Many students are experiencing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, severe mood swings, harming oneself, addiction, anger, eating/sleeping disorder, forgetfulness, fear, etc but failed to find a way out to cure the problems and it lead to poor academic performance. So, this is where the schools and colleges can play a pivotal role in introducing mental health club and create awareness among the students by organizing various activities.
Why suicide cases among the students are increasing day by day? According to a survey, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-29 age group. Most suicidal persons commit suicide as they are unable to find an alternative ways to solve their problems. According to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), every hour one student commits suicide in India. The National Crime Records Bureau data shows that 10, 159 students died by suicide in 2018, an increase from 9,905 in 2017 and 9,478 in 2016. Maharashtra had the highest number of students in 2018 with 1,448- almost 4 suicides everyday- followed by Tamil Nadu with 953 and Madhya Pradesh with 862.
Factors that cause suicide among students are usually academic stress, the pressure to get excellent grade, parental expectations and immense competition to do well. Every year many students commit suicide after the result of various board exams or competitive exams are being announced. When they are unable to meet the expectation they feel their future is miserable and they end up committing suicide.
Unfortunately, mental health issues among the students often go unnoticed. Lack of awareness about mental health issue and the absence of counselors or psychologists in schools and colleges prevent the students from getting help they need. Many schools and colleges are still lacking behind in providing mental health services. According to a study, around 37% college students in India are suffering from depression or some form of mental illness. With the increase in mental health problems among the students, the State Government should make it mandatory for every schools and colleges in Nagaland to take initiative and establish mental health club and provide counseling facility for the well-being of the students. Frequent mental health awareness programme should be organized in order to provide the students the overview of what is mental health, help the students identify potential mental health issues and to terminate mental health stigma. Institutions should also organize training or workshop for teachers on how to deal with students with mental health issues. Students should be given proper guidance on how to get access to the mental health services or seek professional for better mental health condition.
“If we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll leave the world a better place than we found it”-Russell Wilson
