Guiding

_posts/2023-9-10-Guiding-hope.md

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Guarding Hope: A Candid Conversation with a Wellness Expert on World Suicide Prevention Day"
+category: report
+author: "Govind S"
+tags: [wona]
+image: guiding/1.jpg
+excerpt: "Guarding hope : A candid conversation with a wellness expert on world suicide prevention day" explores WHO's theme of "creating hope through action" .Shining a light of hope In our recent interview with the wellness pro, we explored the power of resilience and community on Suicide Prevention Day. Let's keep inspiring positive change. 💪💚"
+---
+
+As I raced down the path, my phone chimed like an impatient orchestra conductor with a missed call from Ashfak Sir and another from Shivani Ma’am. I practically sprinted towards the Wellness Centre, where the signboard promised serenity and bliss – though my phone’s incessant alerts begged to differ.
+
+
+The receptionist looked up at my arrival, probably thinking that I booked an express appointment. With a grin, I announced my appointment, feeling like a contestant on a game show rushing to beat the clock. She pointed me towards the room, and with my fashionably late entrance of a whopping 20 minutes, I burst in, apologising for my tardiness faster than a squirrel discovering it left its acorns at home.
+
+
+Expecting to see disappointed faces, I was ready to make self-deprecating jokes about my time-management skills. But to my utter amusement, I was met with two grinning faces that could rival those supportive judges on kids’ reality show. They had every reason to frown, given their packed schedules, but instead, they seemed to have found the secret to eternal zen while I was caught in a perpetual rush-hour traffic jam of life. To rope in a few sports analogies, even Messi can say “Que Miras Bobo” and Dravid can smash cars in a traffic jam but a wellness counsellor will never lose their cool! I inquired without delay, “Shall we begin?” to which Shivani Ma’am responded, “Certainly, let’s start.” The ambiance was poised for transformation; this interview bore a solemn and imperative tone, given its pertinence to World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.
+
+
+![](/images/posts/guiding/2.PNG)
+Source:https://theprint.in/india/what-explains-the-33-student-suicides-at-iits-since-2018-academic-stress-mental-health-issues/1447341/
+
+
+Govind: **What are your thoughts or insights regarding the unfortunate incidents of 33 suicides among IIT students in recent years?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: It is unfortunate to lose these young minds to something as tragic as suicide, which can be easily prevented. The tricky part is though deaths by suicides can be easily prevented if identified early, a full proof prediction cannot be made unless the one struggling with suicidal or self-harming ideas talks about it openly.
+
+The government data suggest 33 losses in the last 5 years across IITs due to suicide. In recent days, we have seen most of the first-generation IITs struggling to combat the mental health issues that have crept in significantly among young adults leading to this irreplaceable loss. I believe that it is high time we start taking our emotional and mental well-being as seriously as we have always been towards our physical health and professional growth. The entire idea of evaluating someone’s worth just by academic success, professional heights, awards and achievements to the point where we neglect the very core of human existence, the emotional and psycho-social makeup of human existence is just a façade when we fail to harbour life.
+
+
+Govind: **Do you believe that Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) cultivate an environment that fosters mental stress?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: IITs are institutes of national importance, constantly working on innovations and new technologies. It is obvious to have an environment that might exert a lot of pressure. The problem alone is not a climate that is demanding standards, but our ignorance towards addressing our own needs. This reminds me of a dialogue from the movie Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, “We know how to behave when a machine collapses, unfortunately we don’t know how to behave when a human collapses.” It is very convenient on someone’s part to put the entire blame on IIT, but equal responsibility is shared by the parents and guardian as well. A supportive and conducive family environment forms the foundation for a resilient psychological being, but unfortunately for the kids coming to IITs, they are already loaded with the unrealistic expectations of the family, the perceived responsibilities and the social pressure they face while preparing for JEE. To add on is the deceptive narratives promoted by the coaching institutes “ek baar JEE Karlo life set hai, IIT mai pahuch kar sab sorted hai.” They are actually not prepared for what they are expected here, what they are to face and when the obvious comes before it unfolds in a form where they have no idea how to deal with it. On top of that, due to the perceived responsibilities, they fail to share it with anyone which worsens the situation.
+
+
+Govind: **Could you please elaborate on the primary reasons behind the establishment of the Wellness Centre?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: Yes, the idea behind establishing a Wellness Centre is to provide a safe space where the students can openly discuss whatever they face beyond their “expected IIT life,” learn how to deal with the challenges they face while adjusting and adapting to the new role and expectations of the place, understand the plethora of emotions that one experiences while they are transiting from various phases of their lives (here from late adolescents to early adults, from school going to college, navigating romantic relations, falling and failing in it, academic challenges from writing papers to getting rejected). The Wellness Centre is also a place where one can experience that supportive, conducive environment that we all need to handle the pressure that life keeps putting on us. To ensure that the psychological and mental health-related needs of the student community is taken well care, Wellness Centre has a team of professionally trained clinical psychologist, regulated by the licensing body Rehabilitation Council of India. Every clinical psychologist at Wellness Centre is trained in hospital setup where they have undergone 2 years of in-hand training to deal with vast spectrum of psychological and mental health issues like suicides, self-harm, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, as well as are well apt in handling the psychological challenges that one may face due to prolonged physical illness and unfavourable social situations. The professionals are well gripped with early intervention techniques like the identification of risk factors and implementation of primary preventive techniques to minimise the risk of any mental health emergencies. At the secondary level, they have therapeutic and rehabilitative therapies to help the clients to restore their optimal functioning. The Wellness Centre has various diagnostic tools and tests to help students understand their psychological needs, understand their personality, aid them in optimising their cognitive resources and learn the physiology regulation techniques to enhance mental functions with the help of the advanced bio-feedback tool.
+
+
+Govind: **Could you please elaborate on the individuals engaged in the operation of the Wellness Centre and delineate their respective roles?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: The Wellness Centre has a proper structure involving counsellors and Team Wellness. Team Wellness works as an extended arm. Most emergency cases reach us through Team wellness or from the Bhawans. While Team Wellness facilitates the process, the counselling sessions are provided only by the Counsellors. We have the General Secretary at the top of the pyramid to oversee the Team Wellness student members and Bhawan Wellness Council. Team Wellness is responsible to conduct events for ensuring optimal mental well-being of IITR student community by conducting various events during World Mental Health Month starting from  September 10 to October 10 every year. Along with this, the team also conducts various stress buster sessions for UG students just before the MTEs and ETEs to cope with exam stress. The orientation and registration of newly admitted UG, PG and PhD students are also conducted by Team Wellness. This year, we also introduced campus tour for the first time for UG first-year students. Apart from this, the team is dedicated to create awareness about seeking help from counsellors and various issues like bullying, academic stress, social stigmas and so on.
+Moreover, we have a Bhawan Wellness Council in every Bhawan to keep a check on mental well-being of students in Bhawan. As Bhawans are a second home to students, it is very crucial to monitor student behaviour and become the first responders in case of any kind of emergency. The Council is headed by Bhawan Wellness Secretary who looks after all the emergency cases and/or students in need of assistance at any level within the Bhawan system. In case of any problem where a student is unaware of the procedure to get help, directly contact a member from Bhawan Wellness Council and get immediate help from them. If the problem is not solvable at Bhawan Level, one can always contact the General Secretary or any member of Team Wellness for that matter. Immediate help will be provided as we at Wellness Centre are the first and last responders. You may come to us if you do not know where to get help and you can also come to us if you have already tried everything you could to solve your problem, we will surely help you to resolve it.
+
+
+Govind: **How accessible is the Wellness Centre to students?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: Appointments can be booked through the wellness portal, where the details of each counsellor are given with their areas of expertise. One can log in through channel-i account and book. Students can also call in to Wellness Centre and get sessions for them. Wellness runs from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week. For any emergency or crises situation, the counsellors are just a call away at any given time since the theme this time is “creating hope through action,” we appeal to our readers kindly light a candle or lamp as a symbol of joining in hands to stand unite for the prevention of suicide and to not lose hope when it appears to be the darkest of times.
+
+![](/images/posts/guiding/3.PNG)
+
+Source: https://rosesintheocean.com.au/communities-events/world-suicide-prevention-day/
+
+
+Govind: **In your perspective, what constitutes the primary obstacle for mentally distressed students when seeking access to Wellness Centres?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: Most of the students find seeking help as the most challenging task due to a faulty belief that seeking help is a sign of weakness, which is a main cause of stigma associated with visiting Wellness Centre or any psychological/psychiatric help centre in general. Often, students report a feeling that they alone are the ones dealing with such issues and feel embarrassed of their situation which again is a big block on their road to recovery. They choose to isolate themselves and deal alone with their situation rather than opening up about it and seeking professional help. Sometimes, students mistakenly believe that their personal issues will be discussed with their friends or teachers which also leads to hesitation in reaching out for help. Moreover, in some cases, students have a fear of getting judged or reprimanded by the counsellor.
+
+
+Govind: **Can you give a rough estimate or percentage of different type of mental health cases that come to the Wellness Centre?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: Of all the cases reporting to wellness in last 1 year, 60% of the students have come up with psychological issues like stress, anxiety, low mood, anger issues, difficulty in impulse control and addiction, which are among the common issues faced by the students in any academic facility in the prevailing age group. We have been getting cases of academic issues, attendance-related issues, help seeking for financial matters too. I would like to bring this fact to your notice that most of the psychological cases that are reported to us are not solely because of the culture at IIT but due to the family issues and the emotional backlog with which the students enter the college life. The environment here acts as a catalyst that triggers that vulnerability.
+
+
+Govind: **Do you have any innovative ideas for addressing mental health issues within the campus community?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: The mental health of students in college and university campuses has become a growing concern. The unique pressures and demands of academic life need innovative approaches to support mental well-being within the campus. Advent of AI and technology can be utilised to evaluate and monitor the well-being of students, data from social media post, the language use and images they post can reveal and predict mental health conditions. AI tools can be used to track mood and well-being and alert the students when they are out of sync. There is also poor awareness around mental health and treatments; digital tools can be integrated to train support groups and fill gaps in mental healthcare. In this direction, institutes can create a mental health app that is specific to IITR needs and gives information on how to recognise mental health problems and access resources on campus to deal with academic stress and other challenges in campus, this will make the services available to students who are reluctant to seek help. To combat mental health stigma and lack of awareness, mental health education can be integrated into college system by understanding stress and well-being, supplemented with practical, hands-on techniques for maintaining their own well-being. Student leaders and various club in Institute can play a significant role in addressing mental health by creating programs through art, performance and personal stories.
+
+
+Govind: **Do we need a total revamp in the structure of the functioning of IITs?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: We need to look for the scope of improvement wherever possible. The system needs more sensitivity towards the functioning and needs of human beings. There is a need for a massive spread of awareness between the community and the policymakers of the system to understand and address the changing psyche of every fresh coming batch and hence, the system needs to adapt and revoke accordingly. Not just the students but the administrators should also actively participate in help-seeking behaviours when in conflict with the issues concerning the mental health of the students.
+
+
+Govind: **A final message to the students?**
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: In IITR, our approach to celebrating festivals is truly special; it is like a big family gathering filled with enthusiasm and bonding. But beyond the festivities, it is vital for each of us to reflect on our own well-being. We often take our physical body and mental health for granted. That is why I emphasise the importance of dedicating time daily, even just half an hour, to connect with yourself.
+During this time, tune into your body, review your life goals, assess your commitments to family, friends and relationships, and foster a willingness to seek help when needed. Our Wellness Centre is a valuable resource. It is not just a place to turn to when you are facing challenges or in a mental rut but also when embarking on something new or after accomplishing your goals.
+What sets our Wellness Centre apart is the nonjudgmental, unconditional support you will receive from the professionals there. It is a safe space to discuss your thoughts and feelings, making sure you are not just celebrating together but also taking care of yourselves and each other.
+
+
+Govind: This was a very fruitful, informative and candid interview. Thank you for the opportunity, Ma’am.
+
+
+Ms. Shivani: thank you, Govind. It was a good experience. Thank you. Watchout!
+
+
+(Shivani Tewari is a mental health professional at Wellness Centre, IIT Roorkee. Govind S is a second-year PhD Scholar at the department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Roorkee. Govind would like to dedicate this interview to his late friend Abin.)
+