By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With Meghalaya at 27th position out of 30 states in India as per the Annual Status of Education, 2010, the laidback performance of the state can be traced to the lack of mental health care among young students, experts claimed.
As per research conducted by a researcher of NEHU, in East Khasi Hills, about 70 percent of the school children in their 10th standard are suffering from very poor mental health, 26 percent with poor mental health while 4 percent with average mental health.
“Statistics shows that the mental health problem is more in the males than the females”, Dean School of Education, NEHU Prof PK Gupta said.
Presenting the statistics at a one-day seminar on Mental Health of Adolescence organised jointly by SANKER, MLCU and Bethany society under the aegis of HANS Foundation, New Delhi at Hotel Pine Wood here on Wednesday, Prof Gupta said poor mental health directly affect the students’ academic performance and also the family life at a later date.
Data also shows that 36 percent of the children in East Khasi Hills are suffering from unsatisfactory existence problem.
“In Meghalaya particular and North East as a whole, the problem of mental health is not taken very seriously by the society”, he said adding that the magnitude of mental health problems in children has not yet been recognized sufficiently by governments and decision makers.
Deliberating on the topic of substance abuse, founder of SANKER Dr Sandy Syiem pointed out that during the year 2002-2011, as per SANKER’s records, the total number of addicts is 1682 with 1585 males and 87 females.
Explaining that substance abuse does not only mean drug and alcohol abuse, Dr Syiem said even tobacco and smoking is also included within its context. “There is a need to get the educational institutions, government, society and different agencies to fight this menace”, he said.
Talking about the role of different agencies, Dr Syiem said the whole society play an important role in dealing with this problem as one cannot only depend on legal machineries to solve this problem.
Speaking at length on the topic-Stressors in Adolescence, Clinical Psychologist I Shadap said adolescence is a period of ‘storm and stress’, full of mixed messages from all sides including oneself. “Developmental change, family, self, peer pressures and academic pressures causes a lot of stress in a youth”, she said.
She stated that in the North East and Meghalaya in particular, youth are subjected to stress due to conflicts, sense of loss, broken homes and culture.
On the same note, MLCU Vice Chancellor Dr GC Kharkongor said in 2010 alone, about 11,000 suicides cases were reported in the country. “These suicides were outcome of poor remarks in their report cards especially after the declaration of the 10+2 examination leading to depression”, he said.
Earlier, delivering the inaugural address, Education Minister Prof RC Laloo stressed on the role of parents in tackling this problem stating that “Parents should understand the ability and capability of their children and refrain from pressurizing their kids in achieving something which is beyond their ability.”
Others who were present at the seminar included secretary of Education FR Kharkongor, C Naronha of Bethany Society, Rev VTS Langstieh, Counselor of St Edmund’s College Bro Joe Johnson, members of the NCERT, head of various institutions, students besides others.