Factual Reasons to Mandate Mental Health Counsellors in Every Indian School

According to an estimate by the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental illness makes about 15% of the total disease conditions around the world. Also, in 2011, there were 0·301 psychiatrists and 0·047 psychologists for every 100,000 patients suffering from a mental health disorder in India!

That's disturbing, right? Wait till you read more!

According to a report by The Lancent:

(one of the world's oldest and best-known general medical journals)

• China and India are home to more than a third of people with mental illness, but only a tiny fraction of them receive medical help,
• There are more people in the world’s two most populous nations coping with mental, neurological and substance use problems than in all high-income countries combined,
• That burden will become much heavier in coming decades, especially in India, where it is projected to increase by a quarter by 2025

The stigma associated with mental health problems in the two countries also impacts on employment opportunities and therefore the social economic status of families, compounding social inequalities for those with mental health and substance use disorders.

Some red flags with our current policies:

• Less than one per cent of national healthcare budgets in India is allocated to mental health care
• Estimates suggest that by 2025, 38.1m years of healthy lives in India will be lost mental health diseases
• From 2015 to 2025, it is estimated that the number of healthy years lost due to dementia will increase by 82% in India 

(Source)

Channelising the National Outrage Systematically:

When Sushant Singh Rajput's death caused a whirlwind of national outrage over the lack of addressal mechanism for mental health in India, I dug up the following data:

In 2008, CBSE had circulated a guideline amongst every affiliated school's Head of Institute to hire a mental health counsellor within their premises (here's the link from their official website: 2008 Guideline)

This move was accelerated based on a suggestion by the Raghavan Committee's Report constituted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India (in SLP No. 24295 of 2006) to put an end to bullying and its consequences on young children.

In 2015, there was yet another guideline for the same purpose. However, due to extreme administrative negligence, this was not given enough limelight by the schools.

In light of the outrage over mental health being considered a taboo by majority of the nation even today, I am requesting the government to intervene immediately and make this guideline mandatory.

It is NOT plausible for India to ignore the mental health crisis looming on our head anymore

There have been enough debates about what causes mental illnesses amongst humans. Science has given us enough research to conclude that a mental illness is as grave as a physical injury. Then why do we not have a basic mental healthcare infrastructure in place already?

Some important points to note:

• Bullying and harassment are not the only leading causes of stress, anxiety and mental health issues amongst youngsters.
• In case of a crisis, students and adults are not equipped with a proper knowledge as to how and whom to approach for resolving the crisis.
• Lack of awareness regarding the difference between a counsellor, psychologist and psychiatrist leads to more problems because of the commercialisation of the healthcare industry.

Mental Illness is as grave as a physical injury:

Here's how to become an even better nation by allowing our future generations to grow in a healthy environment by educating them about mental health from childhood onwards. We need to borrow the school counsellor culture from the west, immediately!

My mother has been a government teacher for 25 years now. She tells me, government institutions do not have any posts/vacancies for psychologists/counsellors. Understandable. The government has numerous responsibilities with India being a huge nation.

Although private schools can incorporate the model in their institutions, if mandated by the government. They can even afford that!

If you wish that your private school had had a mental health counsellor, you can sign this petition: Every Private School Shall Employ A Competent Mental Health Counsellor, Right Away

Collectively, we MUST accept that a counsellor in every institution is the need of the hour. The more we delay this, the more broken generations we are raising up.

It’s a cycle. It won’t stop. Mental health professionals exist for a reason, after all. Save your future generations and sign this petition now.

Have any suggestions? Email me on thatcandorgirl@gmail.com or leave a comment below. I'll get back to you about it!

Could the Internet have Dealt Better with Mental Health Awareness After Sushant Singh Rajput's "Death"?

Sushant Singh Rajput, a perfect-in-every-sense celebrity "allegedly" commits suicide and what follows is an online nation-wide outcry on the internet. It was mostly about how humans need to be more kind, open and shall speak up about their mental health issues.

If you were one of those people who realised that they need to be a better friend and make amends to people that you weren't previously kind enough to, this article is for you.

The internet missed out on a very important point: having a clear reality check about all the possible outcomes that could emerge out of this. Do so within your own limits, knowing that your actions will not unintentionally lead to unfortunate, unpredictable, irreversible traumatic incidents, of course.

Know how much to do, when to do and where to stop. Do not indulge in anything that could create more problems.

How? To understand this you need to analyse circumstances. I'll try my best, but it goes way beyond the contents of this little post and my own emotional intelligence.

Why do people with deteriorating mental health have a hard time opening up about their issues?

People who do not speak up about their mental health often do so because of a fear, that they wouldn't be understood. It is impractical for us to expect these people to open up ALL OF A SUDDEN.

Perhaps they did try to speak out before. Maybe that is what led to even more trauma for them: the behavioural reactions of an unprepared, immature friend/colleague/family member.

Even if they do it, are you sure you're capable and strong enough to hear what they're going to unload Horrifying unheard stories can be traumatising for both people, the one who shares, and the one who listens to them for the first time.

Elaborating with an example ahead

(Sexual Harassment trigger warning)

Your cousin finally opens up to you about an old sexual harassment experience that they underwent. This was the very first time they've opened up. They could be shivering, they could be fumbling with words to speak up. All too much for you to process and understand. After all, you've never seen that side of them. While you try to politely listen, you realise that you didn't go through any of those horrifying experiences.

It makes complete sense if you have no clue about how to react.

But, your cousin might have had to collect immense amount of courage to speak up. So it's very natural for them to expect a reaction.

Also Read: Dealing With the Coronavirus Pandemic Anxiety in 2020

You'll be doing more harm than good, if the reaction comes out wrong or even as slightly insignificant. They will have to gather even more courage the next time they do it.

And here's another instance...

What if YOU have been a subject of a similar unfortunate incident yourselves? What if, YOU never got over it yourself? What if them confessing these things lands YOU in a dangerous situation, by triggering YOUR unresolved traumas?

Both of you would be shattered at once if it comes out unpredictably, right? Who would be responsible then?

Before promising all your support to your friends, please know that you are also allowed to create your boundaries. You're only human. Recommend a doctor if you feel very early on in the conversation that your help wouldn't be adequate in some particular matter.

Why not effectively raise our voice instead, to demand a strong mental health support system?

We all have little cousins who are undergoing trauma as we speak and repost things online. No amount of kindness can replace professional therapy.

Try to persuade your own families first, about how visiting a therapist does NOT make one mentally-ill. It's a long way to go from here, to the governments actually making this a priority: mass employment of psychologists and counsellors in every educational institute, right from kindergarten.

Isn't that what's the norm in the western world? Isn't that a way more effective way to do something about mental health, rather than risking something that might lead to a multiplicity of unfortunate incidents?

Every human is not equipped with a perfect balance of kindness, because every person has their own unresolved issues. Human psychology is really, really more complicated than one would think. You cannot have an answer to everything. What you can do is, normalise the trend in your own houses, schools and colleges first.

Also read: Fiction was my best friend as a child, but it’s a blessing and a curse at the same time...

Yeah, that's step one. Second would be, visiting your alma-mater's staff, principals, HODs to tell them that they HAVE TO employ a counsellor for the upcoming batches, no matter what.

If you wish your school/alma-mater had a mental health professional, sign this link.

I take pride in belonging to a school dedicated to girls. Sophia school was my alma-mater for all 14 years of my school life. My mother had to fight to get me & my sister admitted to a good institution. Yet, I believe.. this school wasn’t enough because you got home to a community that wasn’t the same.

I wish I had an early access to a mental health counsellor. It wouldn’t have rendered me feeling hopeless in the cruelest of phases when I knew I needed a doctor but didn’t know how and whom to reach out to.

My mother has been a government teacher for 25 years now. She tells me, government institutions do not have any posts/vacancies for psychologists. Understandable. How can the government find one good counsellor when there’s no availability of good subject teachers.

Private institutions MUST accept that a counsellor in every institution is the need of the hour. The more we delay this, the more broken generations we are raising up.

It’s a cycle. It won’t stop. Mental health professionals exist for a reason, after all.

I cannot go back to my school with this demand because I’m emotionally weak. I don’t know who I would be dealing with, how kind the person on the other end would be. I will however, help you if you wish to take a stand. I will help you out with everything that I’m good with (including writing a very strong-worded letter to my own alma-mater).

The ONE Reason Why Tina Dabi (2015 UPSC Topper) Isn't My 'Perfect' Role Model

(I’m just going to use Tina Dabi's example to elaborate upon a crucial point here, this article is NOT a hate post on her. I have time and again come across the laudable dedication she has towards her work).

While most of us feel that caste based reservation system in some way or the other is serving a good purpose, I'll tell you why I don't feel the same taking up over a multiple examples. Excluding the general category backwardness, because everyone talks about that enough!

The reason why Tina Dabi isn’t the ‘perfect’ role model for me:

A person got qualified into IIM/ IIT or any other top institutes because of reservation (or, in this case Tina Dabi’s parents). She/ he/ they manage to become a successful doctor/ lawyer/ engineer/ civil servant.

Now who is going to make sure that this man/woman doesn't reuse this policy to help his son/daughter (Tina Dabi, in this scenario) secure a seat in these institutions using that very same ‘social-upliftment’ quota again?

Let’s consider a real example I’ve picked up from my own life:

The man who cleans up my neighbourhood belongs to a lower caste. His ancestors cleaned our neighbourhood, and so will his offsprings (well I hope not).

Does he not want the welfare of his coming generations? Is it because he is not interested in educating his children, or somebody else from his entire community won’t let him?

When he decides that he'll get his children into a nice institution, he knows that he won't be able to provide his children with the best available study material required to crack any such entrance examination, provided his economic condition. He somehow still tries.

Now his children try to avail the benefits of the reservation system, that was introduced to serve this very purpose. But how will they compete with the children of rich ST/SC people who have the right to avail the same benefits but have got an upper hand in additional access to resources?

There should be a limit as to how many generations of a particular family need upliftment to be socially acceptable. Otherwise it’s all just a facade, right?

Isn't this unfair to the low economic background people hailing from ST/SC? They are still being ill-treated, while the rich ST/SC (Tina Dabi and her family, in this case) are continuing to benefit. Isn't this creating more divides within their own caste now, instead of breaking barriers with the outside castes?

Some other instances where I feel the current caste based reservation system doesn't do justice:

1. The religion based reservation:

Some backward castes of muslims get reservation under the OBC category. There are some classes in Sikh/Parsi/Jew religions classified as OBC, but their proportion however, as compared to the largest minority (muslims) and the majority (Hindus) is far less.

I am sure that these communities get enough perks by their own society in however ways possible (separate dedicated institutions religion and community wise).

But is there a check that these groups that equally deserve reservation don't get cheated when it comes to collective strategy for upliftment? My knowledge on this particular issue is quite low. Please let me know about it in the comments section below.

2. Prevalence of mental depression ONCE the seat IS secured:

Few days back a friend from an NIT mentioned about the increasing number of drug addicts in his campus. Most of these hailing from the ST/SC group. The conclusion that he stated behind their addiction was: the embarrassment faced by these students once they got in because of reservation, but realising it only after that they can't live up to the standards of that institution.

Clearly, they fail to make the most out of their education. Now the question I have is, who is accountable for these depressed souls and the lost seats? Who is accountable for the talent this nation lost when deserving applicants were denied admission into top institutions?

3. Update to 2020: Modi government introduces an additional 10% Economically Weaker Section quota:

I felt that this very demand was wrong before, I feel it is wrong now. We live in a highly corrupted society. It isn't difficult to forge documents that falsely prove that you are backward. Most of the people utilising and procuring seats under the flawed Creamy Layer OBC quota were already doing so!

(Some people from my very own community do it, so I know how easy that is!)

Basically, we are paying for the mis-deeds of our ancestors

My point here is, the reservation system was introduced in newly independent India for the upliftment in the social status of the classes that were ill-treated for centuries in the Indian subcontinent.

On a lighter note, is it justified when I say that Britishers looted and plundered my country's resources for more than 200 years and created more opportunities for themselves, so I as the next generation Indian deserve a reservation in UK?

Has any ruling party or political group ever looked into the issue and actually assessed what percent of disadvantaged actually benefit from this system?

Some resources:

A DU student from Deshbandhu College sets himself on fire

Mandal Commission protests of 1990

Do people of this generation actually bother about castes?

At least in my own circle of friends and acquaintances, NO. We don't make new connections while interacting with others based on this factor AT ALL. It doesn't even come up in the conversations somehow. There's loads of other interesting stuff to talk about!

Yet, we somehow despite those who utilise their quotas. Sometimes intentionally, and sometimes NOT. But this hatred towards certain communities is quite evident all around us.

I would love to hear about your views and experiences on this very subject! (Your cue to proceed to the comment section below)

To sum it up, Tina Dabi could've done more as a privileged educated LSR(DU) pass-out

Why not I mean. She had been a meritorious student way before she cracked UPSC! I understand that this debate could could go on forever and yet remain inconclusive. But why is the public made to suffer because of vote-bank politics?

The number of reserved seats currently is 49.5% (2020 update: 59.50%). It is very clear that no political party wants to lose this 50% (now 60%) vote-bank by allowing amendments in this system. 

To put an end to the misery of the suffering students, the well-off ST/SC/OBC have to take an initiative by not letting themselves get fooled by this politics. At least if social benefit is their reason to opt for civil services.

How? By rejecting the undeserved birth-based privilege we have to secure a seat in our dream institute. Not a single rich or well-off family from my very own community is doing so. Not even a great civil servant like Tina Dabi could do it.

If not us, who will take an initiative? Certainly not the government.

Let me know about your experiences and opinions about this subject! I'd love to indulge in meaningful debates with the readers!

Jat Agitation: Educated Indian Youth Openly Support Vandalised Protests in Favour of Reservation

Delhi University is one of those institutes of India that have the cream of India’s best academic 10+2 pass-out students. With such qualitatively shortlisted bunch of minds, we often happen to believe that this set of students are very promising to the development of our nation.

However, from what I’ve observed, our education system isn’t exactly shortlisting that cream as intended. In fact, it’s maliciousness is leading to a cycle of no hope. I’ve time and again raised my voice against the reservation system of India.

Jat Reservation Agitation 2016

As one of those students hailing from the prestigious University of Delhi, I have felt hopeless by coming across the opinion of some of my own classmates when it comes to reservation. When educated youth claim that protesting is a "legitimate constitutional" right, they seem to forget that rights come with certain set of duties.

More so, if they are getting access to a great education at subsidised fees!

Anyway, the point of this article is to point towards the attitude of 'best-minds'. I have attached some screenshots below (with names censored to avoid any bad consequences on me).

Is our education system blindly promoting individuals with medieval ideas of caste-ism and rioting to get their demands met?

By 25 February, the riots caused a whopping estimated loss of ₹340 billion (US$4.8 billion) in northern Indian states including Haryana and its neighbouring states. The then Railway Minister told in Lok Sabha, that the total loss suffered including damage to property and cancellation of tickets during the agitation was about Rs 55.92 crore!

Also Read: Social Media Sins: Blaming the Entire Sects of Communities Whenever Something Goes Wrong!

And do note the fact that by 26 February, 30 people had been killed in the violence! As a student of Delhi University, I am not proud of what my seniors and classmates believe in. But this is the raw truth:

To my surprise, all the inconvenience caused on the NCR highways was just another celebratory achievement for my own classmates. This, when there had been reports of people dying in the ambulances that were stuck in traffic jams caused by the protestors.

This method of demanding reservations cannot be justified, right?

These screenshots are only meant to draw the attention towards how educated youth impact the very fabric of societal morals. I am not posting them here to defame anyone. Belonging to the very same community, my entire nuclear family is against reservation.

However, this is not true for our closest extended family members who do opt for reservations to secure seats in educational institutes & government jobs. I have rejected this special quota that we are only entitled to based on the fact that we come under a certain caste.

The Solution:

I have always felt that consensual rejection by certain privileged members of communities is the only way reservation can truly serve its intended benefiters. What is your opinion on caste based reservation? Do let me know in the comments below!