2,000 Delhi school students to be educated on maintaining positive mental health
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has signed a MoU with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) – to provide a school-wellness project called MATE (Mind Activation Through Education) – which is a programme on mental health. In their quest, to serve and build a stronger mental health among students, AIIMS intends to reach around 2,000 school-going children in Delhi to train them to maintain a positive lifestyle and guide them on how to prevent any kind of mental illness in the future.
Reasons
Psychiatrists are of the opinion that there are around 50 million school children suffering from some form a mental disorder and that that is on the increase amongst the adolescent children. Citing the reasons for the high prevalence of mental illness among children, psychology experts say, that the main reason is spending long periods of time on social media, gaming, peer pressure, parental surveillance, traumatic experiences in early childhood, frequent migration, negative life events, educational setbacks, early relationship problems and family history of mental illness, as well as stress at school, contribute to the mental illness of a child.
Special care & focus
According to AIIMS – project MATE members – as a lot of hormonal changes happen in adolescents they need some special care and focus. For a start, psychiatrists from AIIMS are planning to reach 2,000 – 9th grade students, from private and government schools and sensitize them on aspects of how to maintain a positive relationship, sex education, how to confront difficulties, respect for oneself and others, on substance abuse and how to maintain a balance between mind and body.
Talking about MATE Randeep Guleria, AIIMS-Director says, “Students would be taught to discourage sedentary lifestyle and will learn how to make appropriate use of technology. They will understand how to make balanced use of internet, reducing online gaming including mobile and social media addiction by an appropriate alternative scientific approach,”
MATE will conduct a workshop for students and parents wherein they will be practically trained on how to handle mental health issues and its prevention.
