A study of the mental health awareness among the high school children, with special

reference to Puthrukka Gramapanchayat

Presented by Preejo Joseph C

(Post Graduate in Social Work, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences)

Review of literature

• Report of WHO show that 154 million people globally suffer from depression and 25 million people from schizophrenia; 91 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders and 15 million by drug use disorders. A recently published WHO report shows that 50 million people suffer from epilepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer and other dementias.

• One in four patients visiting a health service has at least one mental or behavioural disorder but most of these disorders are neither diagnosed nor treated.

Cont...

• Barriers to effective treatment of mental illness include lack of recognition of the seriousness of mental illness.

• Most middle and low-income countries devote less than 1% of their health expenditure to mental health.

Aim of the studyThe aim of the study is to create mental health awareness among high school children

Objectives• To assess the awareness regarding

mental health among the high school children

• T measure attitude of high school children towards mentally ill person

Research design• The study is a descriptive study that

will reveal the mental health awareness among the high school children

Sampling Method• The researcher used purposive

sampling. Universe• The high school students of the

Puthrukka panchayat. 

Major Findings

• The researcher discovered that 90% of them have not received any inputs on mental health

• Their ignorance to a great extend has developed a negative attitude towards mentally ill persons and to seek aid from the mental health professionals

• The research proved that only 26% of the high school children have knowledge of the commonly found mental illnesses like Depression, Dementia, Learning disorders, etc.

Attitude towards the mentally ill person

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Have to be chained

Can not be successful

Cruel and Shabby

Won't Share

Strongly Agree

Somewhat Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Conclusion

• The inclusion of the mental health related subjects in the curriculum and awareness classes will make change to the existing scenario

• A professional counsellor has to be posted in schools to get needed psychological aid to the children in their problems