Assignment 1

HUL370: Selected Topic in Psychology

Amal Prasad - 2017CS10324

Part I

Q.1-What is your overall understanding of mental health condition of

school and college students in India?

Mental Health is a significant concern for students. About 30% of students reported in an
online survey that they have felt so depressed at some time in the past 12 months that
they are unable to function correctly. In India, due to lack of experts and lack of
awareness, people don’t address mental illness as any real problem. Most colleges and
schools don’t have any provisions for mental health. Where facilities are present, other
factors such as social stigma, lack of finances, ridicule by friends, etc. means a massive
gap between those needing help and those being able to seek it. Depression, anxiety,
eating disorders, substance abuse and self-injury are ubiquitous.

When a student is consistently affected by poor mental health, peers, family, and faculty
face stressful consequences out of concern. Further, these students face problems in
relationships and work productivity. College campuses tend to have a lot of students who
perform poorly because of stress and anxiety. When students are unable to finish their
academics properly, they contribute less towards society in the future. A fair amount of
students barely get through school and college to find themselves lacking any
employable skill.

As one progresses through her studies, she has to make choices and opt for academic
paths and career goals. Since this is the first time in her life that she faces such situations
and career counselling is not at all prevalent, it can take a toll on personal well-being.
Students often go to social media and the internet to form an informed opinion. On the
one hand, the internet is an ocean of all the information in the world. But at the same
time, the student likely gets confused and more susceptible to stress and anxiety.

The demand for campus counselling has been growing, which is a positive sign. But
sadly, it is not even close to meeting the needs of all the students. Partnerships with local
providers can help further here. However, to address the deep-rooted issue of mental
health, we need to include mental health education in the curriculum right from the very

ASSIGNMENT 1 1
start so that people become more aware and so that more students opt for a career as a
mental health worker.

ASSIGNMENT 1 2
Q.2-What are the factors in the surrounding environment that influence
the mental health of these students?

Broad Factors:

Academics: Schools may have very tight academic schedules at times with students having to
complete lots of assignments, projects and appear for exams. To not lag, many sacrifice their health
like sleeping less, not indulging in physical exercises, not allowing the brain enough time to be
fresh, etc.
Discrimination: More often than not, a school or college will have a majority of people from a
particular community. This often makes the other students feel aloof, and in some cases, there is
open discrimination among the communities. Being discriminated at such a young age can leave a
lifetime trauma, and for those practising discrimination, it will corrupt the thinking and ideologies.
Counselling: Many of the educational institutions have now started building their counselling cells
employing professionals, partnering with local bodies and appointed faculty who have the required
expertise.

Risk Factors:

Financial Worries: Students who don’t belong to well-to-do families are not able to afford
facilities and indulge in activities similar to their peers. Low-income families often require the
children to contribute to the household in some way as well, like a part-time job, performing
chores, etc.
Periods of Transition: Families who keep moving from one place to another makes it difficult for
the children to form friendships and relationships.
Substance Use: Especially for college students, excessive or frequent substance use can adversely
affect health both physical and mental.
Parental Pressure: Some parents often set very high expectations of their children, and when they
are not able to do as expected, it leads to loss of self-worth and depression.
Culture Shock/Migration: Applicable more to students who belong to a community in the
minority in a school or college. They witness other cultures and traditions being celebrated with
great enthusiasm, while at the same time, theirs is utterly neglected in the new place that they came.

Protective Factors:

Positive Family Functioning: If a student has a happy and healthy environment at home, she will
face problems and issues in her life with a positive outlook.
Social Support (including online): Having healthy friendships, relationships, and family relations
increase the happiness quotient of an individual and help her to keep feelings of isolation and
loneliness at bay.
Community Support: It may include support facilitated by religious organisations, community
programs, cultural & ethnic groups, or other groups.

ASSIGNMENT 1 3
Physical Activity: Being healthier and fitter has been shown to improve the quality of life by
multitudes and allows a person to accept her body and remove the stress about self-image.

Psychological Assets:

Persistence: Strong motivation and dedication so that one doesn’t give upon failures or not seeing
results as soon as desired is persistence. One of the best examples is getting fitter, the first few
weeks or even months there isn’t any significant change in health and body shape, however, if one
is persistent, she will get healthier and fitter. Being persistent automatically weaponises us against a
negative mental health spiral.
Tolerance of negativity: Not bothering about the surrounding negativity promotes better mental
health and keeps us in a touch of what’s real.
Self-efficacy: It reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over oneself. Having control over
our actions and behaviour is a must for mental health since it enables us to find what we need in our
lives.
Planning: Having a definite plan reduces stress, and it allows us not to worry about our path all the
time and instead focus on actions.
Prosocial Behaviours: Empathy, kindness, teamwork and other social skills help tackle mental
health problems.

ASSIGNMENT 1 4
 Part II

Q.1- Give your general understanding of the importance and impact of

mental health workers in our society

Mental Health has been a broad topic of conversation since the beginning of ages. Often,
people seek help from family or friends to discuss their lives or to vent out their
frustrations. Over recent times, countries, especially developed, have recognised the
need for professional guidance in this field, and many different kinds of health workers
and platforms have emerged in society. The first profession to come up in this aspect
was medical psychiatry, and then later, birthed the idea of counselling. Apart from the
medical health clinics, Many colleges, schools, hospitals, have now started providing
counselling services. Still, only a handful of experts are available, and around 7.5% of
people in India have some mental illness. Let’s now look at different types of mental
health workers and their impact.

Psychologists have been enabling people, young and old, to tackle stress and enhance
their decision-making abilities through counselling. They equip an individual to become
more productive, confident, booming and eventually, achieve their goals. Psychology
encompasses family relations such as figuring out interpersonal systems, sports
psychology, the effectiveness of businesses or workplaces, media relation with human
behaviour, or forensic psychology for criminal investigation and witness validations.
Psychologists work at hospitals as licensed practitioners, in universities as professors
and researchers, in govt agencies, in schools or sometimes, in the corporate business
sector.

Psychiatrists use medicines, physical exams and lab tests to treat patients suffering fom
mental illnesses. They are a must in any society as a certain percentage (around 4%)
suffer from severe disorders, and about 15% suffer from some mental illness. In some
extreme cases, patients have to be trained to diverge from thoughts of self-harm and
suicide. Psychiatric nurses perform the therapy and administer the medication under the
supervision of a doctor.

A psychoanalyst, who may or may not be licensed or authorised by the law, is a person
who explores profound psychological disturbances by following the theories of Sigmund
Freud dealing with repressed/unconscious anxieties, conflicts, and impulses. This field
has a varied array of believers and critics.

Apart from these demarcated professionals, mental health counsellors can specialise in
job stress, marriages, families, addiction and general anxiety. Length of the therapy can
vary for different scenarios. Marriage counselling is usually brief; addiction can go on for
longer times, and so on.

ASSIGNMENT 1 5
Today, psychotherapy has a lot of different dedicated schools as well for group
conversations, expressive therapy, etc. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps people
change thoughts or behaviour patterns.

ASSIGNMENT 1 6
Q.2- Identify and elaborate any two contemporary and applied
platforms which you consider most effective in providing mental health
services and resources to society at large. Give reasons for its
effectiveness.

YOUR DOST:
This is an online platform providing support for mental health. It offers a range of
counselling services, mental health programs with periods and blogs. The most striking
feature of the platform is the instant connection to an expert who is well-versed in
psychotherapy and is ready to listen to you with quick replies, and later on schedule calls
and more. The platform is successfully reaching out to us in our comfort zones, seeking
mental help is more accessible, and healthier, than ordering a pizza. The platform offers
you options between different experts, and you can choose one or multiple people you
would like to chat with. Anonymity is a top priority, as well. Being an IITian, I have
received many emails regarding services provided by the team, and I have some friends
who have used it to tackle issues. I believe in times such as these; such a platform
becomes ever more significant.

Jay Shetty (Youtube Channel):

Jay Shetty is a popular YouTuber who makes short videos concerning particular topics
for mental health and control. Although some people believe his videos are not useful, I
think that he is very unconventional. His methods strike a chord with the millennials who
can watch his videos on the go, and get a chance to reflect upon life through the scenario
presented. However, his videos’ target is not those with severe mental illness who require
psychiatric help; instead, it is for everyday people who feel down and depressed. Jay
Shetty also has a blog in which he writes about mental health and the little things that
matter in life. It is a great way to increase awareness and an excellent first step for
anyone looking for self-improvement.

References
❖ https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health-professionals-types
❖ https://thewire.in/health/indias-colleges-universities-need-to-mind-students-mental-
wellbeing-too
❖ https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/mental-health-in-india-7-
5-of-country-affected-less-than-4000-experts-available/articleshow/71500130.cms
❖ https://yourdost.com
❖ https://jayshetty.me

ASSIGNMENT 1 7