Guidelines for Mental Health Education

It is important for every school to have a curriculum based on mental health. This cannot be taught through textbooks but has to be done with an open and interactive approach that is spearheaded by school counsellors in every school.

The fear and stigma associated with matters related to mental health stops people from reaching out and seeking help; they simply continue to suffer in silence, and sometimes, even in ignorance. Till date mental health is spoken in hushed voices despite the fact a lot of people suffer from mental illness the world over.

Psychiatric disorders can afflict the body like any other medical illness. It arises from a combination of biological, psychosocial and lifestyle related factors, and just like any other illness, can be cured given the right intervention at the right time. From the very start, we talk about physical health openly; in fact, schools have classes on health, hygiene, nutrition and sanitation. The concept of a mental health curriculum is similar and the need of the hour is to start talking about mental health and well-being in a structured and deliberate manner, from the very start.

Guidelines for Mental Health Education:

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Schools need to create awareness about the importance of emotional well-being, remove the taboo around mental illness and sensitise students to individuals who may be in distress. The idea is not to go into the specifics of various disorders and their manifestations, but rather, to understand that mental health related problems are real and that they are not due to a person's character flaw or weakness and many people around us may suffer from it.

The curriculum should encourage students, teachers and also school staff to seek help when necessary. They might feel a sense of helplessness, hopelessness and isolation which might lead them to take drastic steps. This can be nipped in the bud if students know where and how they can reach out for help. Asking for help should be taught to be a strength rather than a weakness. Most importantly students should have a safe space in the form of teachers and counsellors whom they can share their concerns with rather than relying on unreliable sources of information from the internet or their peers.

The most important step would be for the school to take preventive steps to ensure that their students are better able to adapt and cope with the pressures and challenges they face.

The World Health Organisation’s four-level whole school approach to school change offers a way of conceptualising multi-layered school-based approaches to promoting and supporting the mental health of young people in school settings.

• Promoting mental health is represented in the widest part of the triangle. This involves a whole school approach with the emphasis being on creating a school environment that is conducive to social development and learning.
• The second layer of the triangle signals the need to educate for and about mental health for all members of the school community. In this way young people and adults can gain understanding, knowledge and skills to support their own mental health and the mental health of others.
•  The third level of the triangle signals the need for some targeted psychosocial interventions for young people who need additional support. These interventions may be in the form of counselling and guidance, anger management groups, peer mediation and small group programmes that focus on supporting young people experiencing change, loss and transition.
• The tip of the triangle signals the need for professional support through linking with community agencies and adolescent mental health services.

The World Health Organisation’s Four-level, Whole-school Approach to School Change:

Use of mental health education guidelines will help to: 

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• Increase awareness of methods to promote mental and emotional wellbeing for all people in contact with the school. 
• Improve the ability of all staff and students to support mental and emotional wellbeing for themselves and others.
• Develop and utilise best practice methods for mental and emotional health promotion within schools.
• Develop a plan for whole school mental health promotion which incorporates the mental health needs of staff and students in addressing mentally healthy school policies and practices.
• Increase the skills of both staff and students to develop and implement appropriate mental health promotion programmes.
• Increase the skills of both staff and students to address their own mental health needs.

Mental health training should be inculcated as life skills training that must educate students on enhancing self and emotional awareness, improving communication skills such as empathy and assertiveness, thinking critically and taking effective decisions, and coping effectively with stress, with a positive attitude and mind-set.