A session for students and teachers at Sree Narayana Higher Secondary School

Two separate interactive sessions on Mental health literacy were done for students and teachers at Sree Narayana Higher Secondary School, Vadakara. The students’ session was on “Culturally Appropriate Mental Health Literacies for Mental Health & Wellbeing”. These discussions covered topics like “mental health, the stigma around mental health, mental health literacy and how to build resilience”. Short films, The Recipe and The Verdict were also played during the session.
Students discussed topics like mental health, stigma, and the importance of mental health. Mental health was explained by a boy as the “ability to face challenges in life” and by another girl as the “ability to control ones feeling”. According to one student “We feel that it [mental health problems] is something to be kept private and is something not to be shared with others” which shows the stigma still present in Kerala. After watching the short films, a girl felt that “mental health is as important, and it must be considered as any other illness”. Another student said, “we must support people with mental distress rather than discriminating against them.”

Teachers on being asked what is meant by mental health gave various explanations. One teacher said, “it is the well-being of the mind”, others used words like “awareness”, “happiness”, and “peace” to explain mental health. Like the students, a teacher felt that people with mental distress are not supported by their families. Some teachers also gave strategies to improve their mental health. These were “taking everything as it is”, having “positive thinking”, and keeping a “Take it easy” attitude.

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