Mental health awareness challenges are becoming increasingly common in this era. Not discriminating between the young and the old, the poor and the rich, and the educated and the illiterate, anyone can be afflicted by them. But in schools and colleges where students are already preoccupied with maintaining their GPA and clearing their tests, concern for their mental health tends to take a backseat.
Students enrolled in academically challenging programs such as medschool are especially prone to ignore their mental health. With the amount of syllabus they are expected to cover each semester, it is no surprise that med students around the world are losing sleep and running on fumes. This is why we, at Ausoma Caribbean Medical School, put so much emphasis on mental health awareness amongst our students and instructors.
While mental health issues cannot entirely be resolved with just awareness about them, it enables college students to manage these problems in a healthy way. Mental health awareness allows people to recognize the issue at hand, guides them to where help is available, and ensures them that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Here are a few ways in which metal health awareness on campus at Ausoma Caribbean Medical School helps struggling college students.
1. Knowing about various mental health challenges allows students to seek help when they need it
With our frequent awareness campaigns and seminars, we at Ausoma aim to educate our students on the various mental health challenges faced by college students today. Our routine seminars about depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and other mental health issues spread awareness on how common these problems can be, and how anyone can suffer from them. With talking about this supposedly taboo subject, we encourage students who may be facing these challenges to seek help. In our talks, we invite certified experts to come and guide students on where to get assistance if they need it. to
2. Training in mental health helps instructors and supervisors to pick up on the tell-tale signs
A lot of times, those suffering from mental health challenges are unable to figure out what is wrong. Sometimes, even when students are able to recognize that something is not right, they are still reluctant to seek help and hesitant to speak about what they are going through. This leads to a big chunk of college students just suffering in silence and fighting these challenges alone.
The faculty at Ausoma Caribbean Medical School undergoes mandatory training in mental health. As teachers and mentors, the Ausoma faculty is not only there to ensure academic success but also a student’s personal growth, health, and wellbeing. The mental health training of instructors and supervisors enables them to pick up on the tell-tale signs of common mental health issues in their pupils, and to offer the help and guidance that they might need.
3. Mental Health Awareness erases the stigma associated with these common struggles
Even in 2022, mental health challenges are considered very much a taboo amongst the general public. Because of this, many students suffering through some of the most debilitating conditions hesitate in seeking help. Some think that their peers may doubt their abilities if they knew what they were going through, while others stay silent because of the fear of professional repercussions of a diagnosis.
With mental health awareness, we can work together to erase the stigma associated with mental health conditions and begin a healthy discourse on the problem. Removing the stigma from seeking help will encourage those suffering in silence to get the help that they need while also eliminating bullying on campus.
4. Addressing students’ mental health problems brings up their academic performance
According to some studies, individuals enrolled in academically challenging programs are more vulnerable to certain mental health challenges. This is mainly because the enormous pressure of keeping up their grades brings extraordinary stress that predisposes them to these problems.
However, with mental health challenges comes the inability to perform academically. Being so consumed with their depression and anxiety, students are unable to study for tests as well as they would like to. The result is a declining GPA that further worsens their mental health.
Mental health awareness can be used to combat this vicious circle of mental health issues and low grades. By encouraging students to seek treatment for their mental health challenges and resolving them, this helps college students to focus on their studies and bring up their academic performance.
5. Mental Health Awareness prevents tragedies and loss of precious lives
Sadly, a big chunk of mental health issues culminate in suicidal tendencies and a desire to end everything. If a student gets to that dangerous point, there is a constant risk of students harming themselves or even loss of life. Suicides at college campuses are becoming increasingly common, and this problem must be addressed instantly.
Mental health awareness is one effective way to prevent these tragedies. In all the ways listed above, mental health awareness encourages addressing and treatment of mental health problems, which in turn can save precious lives!