Dimapur, Oct. 11 (EMN): To commemorate the World Mental Health Day, the student well-being and peer counselling committee of St. John College, Dimapur, organised a webinar on the topic ‘Mental health and college students’ on October 10.
World Mental Health Day is observed all over the world to create awareness on the need for mental health, remove stigma attached to mental health so that people could approach it in good faith. An update from the college stated that more than one hundred students from Nagaland, Assam and other parts of India participated in the programme.
The programme began with an invocation said by Chungpa K, a 5th semester student, while the administrative head of the college Peter Banks delivered a welcome address and also highlighted the purpose of the programme in the current context.
Delivering the inaugural address, the college principal Professor ST Janetius insisted that mental health does not focus only on mental disease but also on people and their day-to-day issues. He highlighted that mental health helps an individual to realise his or her own abilities, to cope with the normal stresses of life, and to work productively and to contribute to his or her community.
He further exhorted the students to focus on those positive aspects of well-being in their life.
Guest speaker and clinical psychologist from St. Joseph College, Bengaluru,
Dr. Madhurini Vallikad highlighted the various aspects of student life that need special attention to mental health. She advised the students to talk, share among friends and peers, and help those in need of such assistance.
She also gave practical guidelines to cope with various stressful and depressing situations of student life. She further made a special reference to Nagaland and its culture and the family set-up to highlight the various needs and how to solve them.
Sumita Banik Saha, convener of the programme, delivered the vote of thanks. Certificates were also given to the participants after a brief quiz.