According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry (2019), at least 50 million children in India, even before the pandemic, were affected by mental health issues, and of these 80–90% have not sought support.

Hesitancy in seeking help or treatment is an issue but the bigger roadblock to destigmatising the herd mentality is the lack of qualified professionals.

India has 1000 clinical psychologists, 1000 psychiatric social workers, 9000 psychiatrists, 2000 psychiatric nurses, the study highlighted. If assumed that India needs three mental health professionals for each category, per 1,00,000 population. In the given scenario there would be a dire need for additional 30,000 psychiatrists, 37,000 psychiatric nurses, 38,000 psychiatric social workers, and 38,000 clinical psychologists.

Specific course, allied workshop

Capturing the focus and bringing solutions into the spotlight, Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences (SIHS), Pune started BSc in Mental Health, this year. There are several courses on mental health that largely deal with Psychology, Psychological counselling and Psychiatrist courses. BSc (Mental Health) is a widely popular course in the west, particularly in the universities in the UK and the US.

“The newly-introduced course focuses on mental health advocacy for seeking treatment for the same among masses. This is the reason, we believe that there is no shying away to use mental health in the title of course” says Dr Girija Mahale, program head, Symbiosis Centre for Emotional Wellbeing (SCEW).
Mentioning the problem getting worse due to inac- cessible mental health services, Dr Girija, also says, “The course module is designed to address these gaps. The students are taught about different aspects of mental illnesses, and their signs and symptoms. Another important aspect includes understanding child and adolescent mental health and diagnosing early symptoms. Training to impart basic skills such as psychological aid is also provided to them, so they can effectively mitigate situations such as suicides, and self-harm in their future job roles. ”
Mental and emotional health are interconnected with our physical health. Sandeep Gautam, co-founder of performance and mental strength coaching PeakMind, says a healthy mind cannot exist without a healthy body and vice versa. Discussing interventions to support the suffering individuals and families, Sandeep says, “During our research and experimentation with students, we realized that this issue needs comprehensive and consistent work that can address awareness, discover where they stand, and help them to understand the concept by enabling the person to develop the desired coping skills. ”

To extend a helping hand, workshops were rolled out to equip exam aspirants and their families to deal with anxiety and restlessness. “So, we have prepared a yearlong program that includes workshops covering almost 100+ relevant topics, and providing assessments, handouts, self-care tools, personal coach, and community learning for each student to make a progressive journey,” explains Sandeep.

Distinct core components

Psychology courses are more theory-oriented, while the course in Mental Health is focused on building skills and competencies needed to deal with patients. Psychology students without a Master's degree cannot treat the pati-

ents, while a UG degree in mental health makes a student eligible to treat the patient. “BSc degree allows students to study subjects such as core components of mental health, varied psychosocial determinants of mental health, cognitive psychology, and other crucial topics such as assessment in mental health, collaborative care in mental health, management strategies, quantitative and qualitative research, mental health advocacy and many more,” says Dr Girija.

Briefing the difference between psychology and mental health courses, Sandeep, says, “The former creates curiosity in the minds of students about the subject, while the latter creates mental resources and capabilities in the students to face whatever challenges life throws their way and excel in their chosen fields. Mental health students can also learn how to recognise when they or their friends are stressed and vulnerable and how to provide support in such cases. ”

Increasing jobs

Students of BSc (Mental Health) will be allowed to join the mental health workforce immediately after completing graduation, helping them kickstart their careers early. Dr Girija adds, “Freshers can assist clinical psychologists/ psychiatrists for timely and correct referral of a patient to specialist services for neuro-developmental disorders or learning disabilities such as ADHD and other behavioural issues. They are also hired as mental health advocates, who are tasked to sensitise teachers and parents about mental health and incorporate social-emotional learning in school curricula. ”

Graduates can work as allied health professionals, mental health counselors, case managers, case liaisons and research assistants in both private, public, and notfor-profit organisations.

Writer- c-Nafisa.Khatoon@timesgroup.com

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