The NSS Committee of Usha Pravin Gandhi College organized a virtual event on Mental Health called ‘Beyond Meds’ on the 10th of October 2020 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm IST. The chief guest of the event was Nuta Lohia (MA in Counseling Psychology), hosted by Aarya Redij. The session was edifying and enjoyable, and it lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
As the World celebrated Mental Health Day on October 10, the day was dedicated to creating awareness about matters of mental health, encouraging mental health education.
The session touched on various important aspects such as:
1) Effects of stress on the body
2) Fight and Flight Responses
3) Anxiety and various terms related to it
4) Depression and stigmas related to the topic
5) Stress Management
6) Well-being and other matters
The session started with the basic grounds of mental health and a question -- What is mental health?
Several parts of Mental Health were covered such as:
a) Mental Health Professionals
b) Knowing your Rights
c) The Stigma of Mental Health
d) Mental Health vs Mental Issues
The most valuable part of this experience was brought to us by the Chief Guest. She informed us that during the early 90s or earlier, mental health was almost not acceptable, widespread discrimination and an orthodox approach towards Mental Health were practiced. But as we started modernizing, society began embracing mental health. She credited the millennials for this big step.
She further pointed out the differences between a phase, illness, and mental illness and mentioned that many ignored the different aspects of mental health due to the various myths that dwelled in society. She also spoke about anxiety and how different individuals handle stress in different manners. How to maintain a healthy state of mind during this pandemic was given significance.
Along with the information, Questions raised by the attendees were answered by the Chief Guest. One of the statements made by the attendee regarding mental health was,
“I feel it’s really brave on the part of the people who can act normal even though they might be undergoing severe or mild mental issues, but the very fact that the person needs to hide it from society because of the stigma, that’s sad”
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