MARCH 4 — In light of the recent SPM results, it is slightly alarming that regardless of the fact that there is mounting pressure on students to excel academically, mental health is not covered in the national curriculum.
This would result in children being unable to identify mental health issues in themselves and their peers.
Depression might be mistaken for sadness, indulgences during manic episodes of bipolar may be mistaken for recklessness.
We need to remove the social stigma associated with mental illness and the best opportunity is in school.
In a fast paced world, the curriculum is the most structured avenue that can be utilised to inculcate the notion that mental illness is wide in range and curable.
Students need to be taught that simply because mental illness is invisible to the naked eye, it does not mean that it deserves any less attention than a pathological illness.
In order for students to feel comfortable talking about mental illness, they need to know that mental health problems can affect professionals and the unemployed, children and adults, men and women alike.
The idea that “it is all in the head” needs to be removed by teaching students that mental health is influenced by genetics and not just circumstances. It is time that we let our children know that it is OK to be NOT OK and that seeking help for it is being courageous and not “weak”.
They have the right to know that while having mental illness is part of being human, it also does not define a person.
In order to normalise the issues surrounding mental health, it is vital that the subject is spread gradually throughout the schooling years.
Young learners can be taught that being human is to experience a myriad of emotions and that no emotion is wrong to have.
This can then be phased into the socially acceptable ways of expressing emotions such as by music, writing, drama etc.
Students need to be taught to listen and not just hear a troubled peer, to offer constructive words of support and to omit labelling such as “nutcase”, “psycho”, “mental” etc.
Eventually, students need to learn that mental illness can be caused by genetics and that changes in the brain are detectable through increasingly advance scans.
This will convince students that should they struggle mentally, it is not always their fault.
Lastly, it is essential that the topic of mental illness is not approached as a “dark and scary” matter. The onus is on the curriculum designers to ensure that students know that colourful and purposeful lives can be led while battling mental illness.
The reality that Jim Carry is a comedian yet has depression is not just irony but an example of how mental illness is not a limitation to ambition.
Sir Winston Churchill called his bipolar disorder his “black dog”, yet some political analysts believe that his achievements especially during World War 2 were because of his mental illness and not in spite of it.
A Chinese proverb goes “if there is light in the soul, there is beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there is harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there is order in the nation”.
By equipping children on how to handle mental health, we will not only be making them more aware of their wounds and victories of their own souls but we are also sending messengers into households so that their families too can benefit from the knowledge.
I hope that this is not only read by the general public, but will also start the ball rolling on creating mental health awareness in schools.
Despite my law degree and many other achievements, I will till my tomb count my struggle with depression and anxiety as my most remarkable success.
The ongoing battle is a daily reminder of how much stronger I am than I ever thought I was. However in hindsight, perhaps I could have dealt with this illness in a better way had I been exposed to these issues in school.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
