Hey everyone! Let me begin with a quick share this week.
Coming from a family of legendary paediatricians, I was always amazed at how my grandfather, Dr DG Benakappa, had an innate ability to be a kid with kids and an adolescent with adolescents and so on. He was really cool, which made me coin a tagline for him, "He may or may not give a pill to the ILL but he's one doctor who's always CHILL".
Today, I'm elated to hear that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has constituted a task force to tackle mental health issues in medical colleges. This shall, indeed, ensure that everyone who takes care of those who are ill shall be really chill! I mean to say that thanks to this move, the future doctors of tomorrow will be well-equipped to be mentally balanced which shall make them amazing clinicians. And the best phase to intervene is when they're striving to become the best academicians. Kudos to the NMC!
So, my column is an appeal to these committees specifically, to give my two cents about what they should be looking at and how they could ensure adequate student representation. Of course, I'm just a small fish in the ocean compared to the whale-like stalwarts who are part of this committee, but the last one and a half decades of my experience could maybe help, right? So, here goes...
The need of the hour: Make mental health cool, it's no longer a taboo!
The "What if others find out?" plague needs to be eradicated. This is one line that I always hear when I interact with students and ask them why they haven't approached a mental health professional or even their own in-house counsellor. Bringing in awareness not just about mental health, but also about how we, as a society, contribute to (by being insensitive or passing unnecessary comments and so on) and can contribute (by being more empathic and supportive) to those facing difficulties should be emphasised and the message should be amplified to the largest extent possible.
Here are a few simple yet effective ways to make mental health cool and involve students:
1) Peer-led student initiatives: Of the students, by the students, for the students!
Empowering students to lead mental health awareness campaigns, workshops, and events is the key and also the easiest way to get the students involved.
Peer-led initiatives can resonate more with students and make mental health discussions relatable and engaging, especially when a proactive team, who themselves have gone through several challenges and have emerged victorious, takes charge of such initiatives. Identifying the right team can work wonders and if not, it's okay as long as a community is built who can be supportive of each other.
2) Mental health cafés: A place to chill, or find answers when feeling ill!
I've been suggesting this idea to so many people and yet haven't seen even one which is functional. I humbly request the committee to make it mandatory for medical institutions to organise mental health cafés where students can gather to enjoy their favourite beverage while discussing mental health topics in a casual and relaxed setting, but this particular café needs to be exclusively for this purpose.
If the colleges are willing, it'll be fabulous if guest speakers can be invited or open mic nights can be held where students share their stories about how they managed to cope and inspire others.
3) A creative wall which spreads the message — irrespective of whatever challenge, one should never fall!
Allowing students to express themselves creatively is the most effective peer-to-peer communication strategy that works wonders.
It can be through poems, graffiti, visual arts, music, or storytelling. Providing an opportunity to function on these lines and also allocating a safe zone with a dedicated wall which is free from bullying, ragging and anything that can cause stress or anxiety can be the best initiative an institution can take up. This can help destigmatise mental health issues and promote self-expression whilst also building a self-reliant support group.
4) Support groups! A place to talk your heart out, but sadly... the concept is always talked about and never implemented
Establishing a framework and providing the necessary infrastructure, facilities and resources to have regular meetings, where participants can choose to remain anonymous, and have a set of experienced volunteers who are mental health professionals will work wonders and it already has in many countries.
We have been lagging behind when it comes to giving mental health the due importance that it deserves and it's high time that we normalise the concept of support groups. The best place to do this is definitely colleges as the future leaders of our country will no longer be stigmatised when they step into their professional journey and can help spread the message of how it helped them too.
5) Mental health is no doubt a vast subject, but it can't be taught like a syllabus. We have to be cool and prove that we're cool or they'll think we're trying to make them a fool!
Incorporating pop culture and using popular memes, trends and other references to spread the message works like magic. I'll prove my case, there was a time when I would have about 40-50 slides in a PowerPoint presentation during my training sessions. Now, I have about 30 memes and it brings in more interactivity and makes students open up faster.
Using pop culture references, memes, or trending topics to frame mental health discussions in a way that resonates with students can not only make mental health topics more relatable and engaging but will also make the message spread like wildfire, ensuring that more and more benefit from such initiatives.
Interact and push to inter act
Being a Learning and Development professional and having lost count of the number of sessions I have conducted, the one sure-shot mantra that I can share is to have regular interactive sessions for students.
Most colleges "cheap out", don't spend and hence, don't invite or consult with good resource persons, and that's one of the reasons why I don't go to colleges unless it is for a completely pro bono service or if I am asked by family.
Interactive workshops that combine mental health education with fun activities such as art therapy, music therapy, or stress-relief exercises can be the new normal on campuses and this is to make learning about mental health enjoyable and memorable. It shall also have the best memory recall and I don't have to spell out the benefits of that now, do I?
As I sign off, I am spellbound and unable to express how elated I am to have heard this news. It's the need of the hour and whether it is because of lack of initiative or opportunity, here we are finally ushering in development in the most crucial aspect of a student's life. I only pray that all streams of education shall replicate this model and we shall strive towards a mentally, physically and psychologically strong population.
With Regards,
Adarsh Benakappa Basavaraj
"Your Coach striving to bring in the NEW SOCH!"
