Plunge into A Student’s Life: A Brief Guide to School Mental Health

There is plethora of evidence available in the literature that advocates the importance of students’ mental health, related issues, addressing them to impart prevention, and start early intervention. The available data base says that majority of students face some or the other type of emotional and behavioral issues that are severe enough to have a long-term impact on their wellbeing and educational growth. A huge number of students drop out from school, go through major emotional and behavioral problems and suffer from a major psychiatric disorder needing long term management. Such conditions may inhibit a student’s academic growth, emotional maturity, and capacity to adjust & cope in new situations. It also leads to issues in dealing with their own perception of Self as it badly impacts’ one’s self-image and self-esteem. In this article, we are NOT going to discuss about the major disorders, rather, this article will address issues that may appear petty but have major psychological impacts on student’s mental health.

1. Bullying: Bullying amongst peers is a common issue and most of the times goes unnoticed and perceived as usual naughty behavior of kids. Those who “bully”, take it as a playful activity, and it’s more or less a part of their usual activity in school; however, the one who is “being bullied” suffers a lot mentally, emotionally, and physically.
2. Peer rejection: Peer rejection is basically excluding someone from a group of students, ganging up against them, and spreading rumors about them. It is done with the intention of hitting someone emotionally and not approving their inclusion in the group.
3. Violence and aggression: Violence and aggressive behaviors in school are a form of misconduct that may harm students in many ways. Such behaviors may come in the form of verbal abuse, using bad language, physical abuse in the form of beating, tearing clothes, destroying other student’s belongings, etc.
4. Peer pressure: Peer pressure in school is something which may lead to unwanted behaviors, done forcefully, in order to keep the image intact amongst the group members. Peer pressure starts with small things like being forced to follow particular rules (to stay in the group), and can go up-to the extent where students might be pressurized to smoke, drink, steal money, lie to parents, performing misconducts, and so on.
5. Abuse: There could be various ways of abuse in schools. Abuse can be done in the form of physical abuse like hitting, beating, and slapping. Neglect in the form of denial to listen to complaints, not providing the students enough backup and support when needed. Sexual abuse in the form of sexual assault, exposing to pornography, performing sexual acts in front of the other students deliberately, inappropriately touching private parts of the other student or forcing them to involve in a sexual activity. Emotional abuse in the form of rejection, continuous punishments, neglecting and avoiding basic queries and needs. And, verbal abuse in the form of verbal remarks that are upsetting and humiliating.
6. Ragging: There was a time when ragging was an issue related to colleges where students belong to comparatively higher age; however, in recent times, it is observed that even in schools, students who belong to higher classes treat the students of junior classes badly and rag them when found isolated. On the name of introduction, junior students are forced to perform acts against their wish and are threatened to not complaint to the school authorities.
7. Harsh teaching methods: Punishments are not always bad and especially if they are given for betterment of students. But, the method of punishment is much important and needs a serious discussion amongst teachers and other school authorities. Extreme physical punishments, and also, using abusive and humiliating language to punish a student is not desirable. It can have long lasting impact on a student’s psyche and may rupture the student-teacher relationship in a long run.

Abuse is one of the major issues amongst other listed issues as it does not involve only student-to-student interaction, it may equally involve student-teacher interaction or sometimes involvement of other school authorities and school staff.

Signs to Observe: Following are the signs that need to be observed by the parents, as well as the teachers, and other school authorities:

1. School refusal: Students who face any kind of odd situations in school are likely to display refusal. Once in a while refusal may not be an issue but frequently denying to attend school is serious and must be taken care.
2. Increased Absenteeism: Students who face difficulty in school are likely to be more absent. Sometimes, they leave from home to attend school but despite of going to school they keep wandering here and there. In such cases it is important for the teachers to keep a track of these students and be regularly in touch with their parents.
3. Decline in academic performance: If a good, or even average student starts to show decline in academic grades, displays poor attention and concentration, separates from academic activities, does not complete home assignments, it should be observed carefully both by the teacher and the parents.
4. Poor self-care: Signs of poor self-care will be visible as poor hygiene habits, not paying attention to cleanliness of school uniform/other clothes, poor eating habits, not paying attention to appearance, delaying the daily self-care routine chores like brushing, bathing, combing, grooming etc.
5. Being emotionally vulnerable: Students who face difficulties in school are likely to become emotionally vulnerable. They might become extremely agitated or may start crying on even smaller issues. They can be irritable and aggressive than before and may become highly sensitive to almost everything.
6. Poor sleep cycle: There is possibility that the issues of school life impact a student’s sleep drastically. Poor sleep may not always mean loss of sleep or decreased sleep. There is equal possibility of excessive sleep as well. Parents must be vigilant if a child is sleeping too less or too much.
7. Frequent somatic complaints that are medically unexplained: In order to avoid school, many kids display somatic complaints and most common are headache, and stomach ache. These are complained usually in the morning (just before the school) and may not have a medical explanation.
8. Behavioral changes: A change in student’s behavior may be noticed like staying isolated, not getting involved in group activities, being alone in rhesus, inability to perform class works and home works as efficiently as earlier, inability to concentrate, occupied in daydreaming in the class, found sleeping in the class etc.

Outcome: Above mentioned issues are much serious concerns for any school and parents. Providing a student, a safe and protective environment in school should be a primary objective of every school and even government authorities are vigilant about these issues. There are several policies in interest of students that ensure their safety and promise to provide a healthy competitive environment for educational growth. In absence of a healthy environment at school a student can suffer more than we could even imagine. If such issues go unnoticed by teachers, school authorities, and parents, it can lead to academic failure, school drop-out, major psychiatric conditions, misconducts, anti-social activities, attempt to suicide, and in some cases conformed suicide.

Student life is one of the major parts of an individual’s life that consolidates many memories. It’s a place where we encountered many firsts. Learned to read/write first number/alphabet, met first teacher of our lives, made our first school buddy, participated in first debate/ annual function/sports day, and the list is never ending. This is the place where we learned to behave, be ethically and morally strong, developed ability to choose between right and wrong, adjustment to an environment that may not be as comforting as home, sharing and so on. Freshers party, farewell party, excitement of annual day function, nervousness during results, jumping and shouting when excelled in something, and sharing our emotions with friends when upset on something. These all possess a special place in every student’s heart and no student would want to get these memories faded ever.

But students who have been bullied, excessively punished, abused, threatened and neglected in their schools, may not wish to remember and recall their experiences ever. When a parent sends a child to the school, it’s their faith on school authorities that gives them strength to handover their precious child to a place where they are not going to be under parental protection. In lieu of the same, it is important for the school authorities to not only help a child grow academically, but also achieve psychological wellbeing and maintain good mental health.

Mental health professionals have managed to work on identification and management of such conditions and have been working to explore effective school mental health programs. Even the government guidelines advocate implication of school mental health programs for wellbeing of students and provide them much needed psychological support.

This article is a small attempt to bring in light the shady parts of a student’s struggle at school. It is true that not all students get affected by the odds of such situations; however, those who are vulnerable to stress might be badly affected. Every teacher, parent, and other school authorities must be vigilant about such issues and seek immediate psychological help if any of the mentioned signs are observed.

If you have any query related to this article, feel free to write back at info@talktocure.com

Neelam Verma

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Talk to Cure, Mental Health & Wellness Centre

Jajpur Road, Odisha