Mental health awareness initiatives at Jamia

NEWDELHI: The department of psychology at Jamia Millia Islamia commemorated the international day of mental health (October 10) through stalls and marches for mental health awareness. Students of the department arranged talks in various departments on three key issues: depression, examination anxiety and social adjustment.

“With this year’s theme being mental health for everyone, the stalls have been set up as an attempt to create an open forum where anyone with concerns or questions related to mental health can reach out without fear,” explained Ghazi Shahnawaz, head of the department.

According to students, the three areas were chosen to start a conversation around mental health which is a topic difficult to tackle for many.

“Exam anxiety and social adjustment are of particular importance to students as several students have pointed out the troubles they faced in adjusting to a new environment in a new city,” said Manjari, a final-year BA student. Among the concerns raised, students frequented with questions on how to build confidence in public speaking and other stage-related activities, how to access the university’s counselling cell and how to ensure stress didn’t hinder their ability to prepare for examinations. “Those in their final year of study were particularly stressed about what the future holds for them,” said Shiza, a BA student.