Being a child in today’s era is much more challenging than years before. The Indian education system has become a burden in a child’s life. Nowadays, every person is active in social media; continuous usage of social media also leads to anxiety and unhappiness. According to the statistics, India has the highest suicide rates in the world.
In childhood and adolescence, mental health disorders are the most common. Educational institutions should include Mental Education as part of education. Not only the institutions, but there should also be an equal contribution of family in a child’s mental growth.
In this article, you will be able to learn about topics under the head, encouraging a child’s mental health: the road to spontaneous and natural growth. This article will help you to know about What is Mental Health.
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
According to WHO (WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION), Mental Health is a state of wellbeing. It refers to activities which are directly or indirectly related to mental well-being, helps in the prevention of mental disorders, and treatment for people affected by mental illnesses.
Over 90 million Indians, which is approx 7.5% of the total population have some mental disorder, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).A study by a British charity in the year 2019, Mental Health Research UK, found that 42.5 per cent of the total employees in India’s corporate sector suffer from depression or an anxiety disorder.
According to the statistics, 35 per cent of India’s total population is between the ages of 15 and 34 years; nd suicide is the leading cause of deaths among young people.
MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
The child education system in India consists of administrative officers, teachers, policymakers, and non-teaching staff who should create the right environment, especially a place where proper mental development of a child is possible. Right to Education Acts restricts physical punishment and mental torture to students and ensure appropriate cognitive development of a child. This will help the child to get free from anxiety, trauma and mental disorder. Schools are not just places for learning but also a place where the proper growth of a child should be possible.
This not only means that there’s a lack of institutional support for students struggling with health and mental issues, but also lack of awareness about mental health.
What Role Do Schools Play in A Child’s Emotional Well-Being?
If you talk about schools, it includes teachers, students and other staff related to school. A child’s personality plays a vital role in their school success, but it is not the only factor.
Every school should contain a counsellor. A Counselor is a person who provides a right path to a student related to any problem or issue in life. The counsellor works as a guide for students who offer psychiatric help.
Counsellors are Psychologists who help students to deal with behavioural problems, allow them to understand the changes happening in their body. The primary role is to provide knowledge about the anxiety, trauma and symptoms of mental disorders. Counsellors also help students to deal with personal problems, especially for career guidance.
If every school keeps a counsellor, it will become easy for the students to cope up with the problems. Along with Educational Institutions, parents equally pay an essential role in a child’s mental health.
ROLE OF PARENTS IN CHILD’S MENTAL HEALTH
Parents can play a decisive role in a child’s mental health. Parents can encourage their child to follow their passion and interests and help them to increase their self-esteem. They should also teach them the importance of setting realistic goals and productive ways to achieve them.
Proper interaction between a parent and child is needed. Parents should communicate with their kids regularly to check whether the child is okay or not. Parents should indulge in the child’s activities and interests, or else the child will start feeling isolated. In doing so, parents can feel assured that they are giving their children good advantages that will help them to maintain good mental health.
BEST WAYS TO PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH
Parents and schools should equally promote mental health. By doing this, millions of children or students will save their lives as they will not be suffering from any mental disorders. Here are the best ways which will help you to promote mental health.
Encourage for Social Time
Encourage your, students, to focus on some other thing instead of only studying; it will help in removing pressure from the student’s mind. Ask them to make a schedule of 30 minutes or an hour every day where they can chat with their friends or relatives which are close to them. Also, support them, to perform any activity which they are finding difficult.
Apply Open-Door Policy
It’s essential for parents and teachers both to communicate with the child in a very frank manner as if you are her/his friend. Children should feel that you, as a parent, are always there for them to support you. Learn to listen; first, try to listen to their whole problem and try to understand their opinion.
INFORMATION RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH
Still, for many people, Mental Health is a taboo. Many also feel that they are being judged if they explain their problems. You should make your mental health a focus in your school.
You could also invite different institutions, charities, into school for seminars about their mental health. You should ask both students and parents to attend.
CONCLUSION:
The tools should be provided to improve the school environment and mental development for all children. The main aim is to bring promising approaches to more schools across the nation.
Schools should make an effort to encourage children facing different hurdles of life. We hope you understood all the above information related to mental health.
‘Encouraging a child’s mental health: the road to spontaneous and natural growth’ title itself indicated that if you encourage child-centred education, that will help them grow and develop to their fullest potential and make them active participants in their own life.
