Students’ Mental Health Awareness In IPSJ

Stress is something that everyone deals with daily (Helquist & Cohen, 2012). Stress can be caused by a lot of things and it is different for each individual. In an article written by Gongala (2017), she mentioned that academic stress was one of the most common causes of teen stress. Not only do students have to worry about school work, they also must worry about the pressure to get high grades. Sawa (2013) claimed that genes are not the only factor that contributes to the development of mental illnesses, stress is too.

According to Nordqvist (2017), mental health is about how we feel, think, and behave. It technically refers to a person’s physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. Mental health is an important part of a person’s health together with physical, psychological, and emotional health. Based on the research made by Ghana Medival Journal (2012), mental health is a neglected area in health care in Ghana. Research has been limited both in quantity and quality with few clinicians and trained researchers on the field. In Ghana, there are few studies about clinical practices in mental health. There several important areas for their future research to inform the development of targeted and effective interventions in mental health care in Ghana. Ritchie and Roser (2018) said that, mental health is significantly under-reported. They said that it is true across the countries, but particularly at lower incomes where data is scarcer and there is less attention and treatment for mental health disorder in their country. It is complex and can take many kinds of forms. They said that mental health disorder remains widely under-reported.

According to them, improving the awareness, recognition, support and treatment on mental health should be at least be an essential focus for the global health around the world. Mental health awareness comes in many ways, it can be through hosting seminars, joining campaigns, and even just talking about it is a way of helping people become more aware of their mental health (Biddle, Donovan, Sharp, & Gunnell. 2007). Mental health awareness is important, as Biddle, et al (2007) claimed, mental disorders are common among young adults. It can give the people more knowledge and more empathy for those who are mentally ill and encourage more people to have a mental health screening or immediately seek professional help before their state worsens or they start developing mental illnesses. Mental health in academics can easily affect a student’s performance in many schools. Some common mental disorders are depression and anxiety, feeling lonely all the time, and being overwhelmed (Brandy, Penckofer, Solari-Twadell, & Velsor-Friedrich, 2015). Even more students experience depression at a higher rate than the general population (Ibrahim, Kelly, Adams, & Glazebrook, 2013). Because of this, students facing the emotional movement to the university life have a higher risk of suffering from depression as their emotional state has been easily impacted by new social networks, academic stress levels and living arrangements (Brandy, et al. , 2015).

Mental health awareness is a crucial issue that needs to be taken care of, especially for teenagers and adolescents. (Henriques, 2014) stated that according to the American College Health Association (ACHA), the suicide rate of young adults who are aged 15-24, has tripled ever since the 1950’s and is also considered the second most common cause of death among many other college students. It is because of this that some countries have a high death rate which is more on suicide due to extreme depression and anxiety in schools, colleges, and universities. Raising awareness is important in preventing students from breaking down mentally, for them to both have a positive outlook in life and keep their grades as high as possible. That’s why students should take care of their mental health so that they will not damage their health, emotions, and academics in school. Based on the research made by Ghana Medival Journal (2012), mental health is a neglected area in health care in Ghana. Research has been limited both in quantity and quality with few clinicians and trained researchers on the field. In Ghana, there are few studies about clinical practices in mental health.

There several important areas for their future research to inform the development of targeted and effective interventions in mental health care in Ghana. Ritchie and Roser (2018) said that, mental health is significantly under-reported. They said that it is true across the countries, but particularly at lower incomes where data is scarcer and there is less attention and treatment for mental health disorder in their country. It is complex and can take many kinds of forms. They said that mental health disorder remains widely under-reported. According to them, improving the awareness, recognition, support and treatment on mental health should be at least be an essential focus for the global health around the world. As stated by Gorczynski (2018), poor mental health at schools are a very big problem, not only does it affect how they learn, but then it also impacts whether they can finish their studies and academics properly as well. Galderisi, Heinz, and Sartorious (2015) stated that according to WHO, mental health lets the people realize their abilities, can easily cope with such a normal stress in their lives, they can work actively and able to contribute in their community. People having good mental health are often to be sad, not okay, angry and unhappy because this are part of their life.

Mental health awareness, according to Srivastava, Chatterjee, and Bhat (2016), it is a major concern worldwide and their country, India, is not far behind in sharing that. They evaluated the field of mental health, the pace appeared to be slow. "Without mental health there can be no true physical health", declared by Chrisholm (2016). Mental health awareness can also be promoted in sports. The World Health Organization estimated millions of people across the world experiencing mental health problems, still traditionally athletes have been poorly supported to manage their mental health (Breslin, Haughey, Donelly, Kearney, & Prentice, 2017). Awareness is important. Biddle, et al (2007) claimed that among young adults, mental disorders are common and can cause bad outcomes. The data they collected, however, indicated that it is unlikely for young adults to seek professional help. This is sometimes due to their tendency to assume that these problems are caused by religious or cultural beliefs, the insufficiency of insurance coverage, and their lack of access to services (Chow, Jafee, & Snowden, 2011). Awareness can erase the stigma that these mentally ill people experience daily. At one-point in the past, mental illness was an illness that no one was brave enough to talk about (Ferrigno, 2015). They also added that patients would be taken and put away, not to be treated but to be hidden from the public, it was considered as a disease that one was to be ashamed of, cursed with. According to Eaton, Nwefoh, Okafor, Onyeonoro, Naubani, and Henderson (2017), mental health services in Nigeria mainly consist of large government psychiatric hospitals and there are very few mental health professionals to serve the large population of their country, Nigeria.

Educating the public about these people’s weaknesses and strengths can help them become more understanding and empathetic, which can therefore erase the stigma that comes with the word ‘mentally ill’. These stigmas are caused by stereotypes, and these stereotypes are opinions that were formed by a community (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). In fact, they also added that people who are diagnosed with mental illnesses are challenged more than the usual because they not only have to struggle with the symptoms and disabilities of their illness/es, they also must deal with the stereotypes and mistreatment that stem from the misconceptions about mental illness. According to Corrigan (2002), most of the United States citizens, ages 13-17, and a lot of Western European nations, ages 18-21, showed attitudes that stigmatize mental illness. Awareness can also create more or new developments for the mentally ill. So, making the public aware can cause the increase of demands, which can result in improvement of changes on research, service, and development (Geneva, World Health Organization, 2003). More public awareness can result in better funding for services that can help treat or help the mentally ill cope better. Raising awareness can help mental illness be taken seriously and be finally seen as an illness.

Doing so can result in early treatment and detection which can result in better health outcomes (Wright, McGorry, Harris, Jorm, & Pennell, 2006). It is just like every single illness that can be managed or treated with the proper treatment. According to Serani (2013), there are many ways of raising awareness for mental health, it is not an easy task, such as learning more about it by attending seminars regarding it, attending fairs, reading about it, watching videos about it. She also added that there are multiple mental health awareness campaigns around the globe. One person can also educate other people by just talking about the topic or simply discussing it online. Serani (2013) also discussed about the Mental Illness Awareness Week, it is the designated week of October 27, MIAW does more than just enlighten the public and debunk the myths surrounding mental illness, it also doesn’t just discuss the warning signs of suicide, nor does it just inform the public about the stigma that keeps people from getting proper treatment. She also stated that, programs during MIAW also offer mental health screenings for free. Mental health screenings are important because they not only identify those who are at risk of developing a mental illness, but also those who are already experiencing the symptoms.

These screenings can also provide supports to those who are in need and accessible services. (Serani, 2013)Academics in education are a necessity to students. The students do their best to accomplish tasks and get higher grades. But because of this, said students can put their mental health in danger. Wilcox (2014) claimed that mental health issues are very common among academics and students, but the evidence to support this is sparse. She also claimed that in a study, the rate of mental illness in academic staffs and academic students was three to four times higher than of the general population. Piper (2018) had also stated that some students turn towards academics when their mental health is affecting them. She also mentioned in a research that researchers talked to 52 academics with sharp experience, at five UK universities. The academics found out that responding to the mental health problems of students are now an unavoidably part of their role and did not feel ready for that demand. Roger (2018) states that good education gives the students the ability to choose whatever career they want.

However, the pressures in achieving such things can also lead to many negative side effects, and one of many students will eventually experience panic attacks. Many measures are being taken in order to reduce the stigma surrounding their mental health, there are still many significant factors that will need to be addressed as well. Tait (2018) said that tutoring may also well be a symptom that it is difficult, and also hard to cope with, but regardless, the causes of these growing mental health problems lie largely within the schools and it is also the causes, not the symptoms, that really need addressing. A study stated by Reilly (2018) said that UCLA offered all arriving students a free online screening to see signs of depression. More than 2,700 have opted in, and the counselors have found out that more than 250 people were identified for being at risk for severe depression, showing a wild or extreme attitude, or even thinking about having suicidal thoughts. Students’ mental health is a priority that should be noticed by teachers. Not only does it affect their academics but also their attitude towards people. Nooraldayeh (2017) Stated that nearly 20% of students aged 13 to 18 have an identifiable illness, yet the school doesn’t teach us or rarely educates us to find out what these illnesses are. Burnett (2018) said that our brain is capable of adapting to many things, but when it comes to the discussion of mental health, it will be more likely to be a part of how the students in schools see the world and has a small chance of disturbing them overall.

Friedrich (2018) also said that mental health stigma is a real problem that is also affecting the lives of a lot of people with mental health problems as well as those who are close with each other, and a research stated that the fear of being labelled and stigmatized as well affects the person's willingness and show that person's illnesses and seek treatment, so it is commendable that the ignorance about the causes all mental ill healt and other treatment options are to be discussed. Strickland (2018) also said that students should seek professional help because it is very important; and that current culture can also promote the use of nonprofessional ways of not getting stressed and taking the time to ourselvesTo solve these issues, A topic from Horne (2018) of the “Active Minds” organization suggested that the organization should be partnered with students in order to encourage peers and friends to help, educate, and learn more about mental issues the same way physically, without shame or even silence.

This study aims to show that students should be aware about the possible signs of mental illness and to contribute a mental health screening to IPSJ. Seeing as how a student’s Mental health plays a huge role in how a they deal with the stress that comes with school. It is critical for students to be able to notice the signs that they could possibly be mentally unhealthy, so that they can seek professional help early on. Statement of the ProblemThis study is about the importance of student’s mental health awareness. Additionally, this study will also aim to inform students about the early signs of mental illnesses, help them recognize it so they can get professional help immediately. This research aims to answer the following questions:

1. Are the students of IPSJ aware that they could possibly be mentally unhealthy? What are the signs that they could be mentally unhealthy?
2. ow does their mental health affect their studies?
3. How do the students of IPSJ manage their mental health?
4. How can students manage their mental health problems better?

Conceptual framework

Mahnken (2018) stated that the relation between students and mental illnesses are the anxiety, depression, and stress levels. It is because of this that they get more pressured because of many school works, assignments, projects, and even school events as well. The study that is to be conducted will be taking after a qualitative research design. Qualitative research aims more in giving a humanist or idealist approach to a research question. Even though a quantitative research is more reliable since it has a basis of numbers that can be created by different researches (Pathak, Jena, & Kalra, 2013). DeFranzo (2011) defined qualitative research as an explanatory research, it is used to provide more information about opinions, reasons, and motivations. It can help create more ideas and show more insight regarding the problem.

Participants

In this study, students and teachers in IPSJ will be given some questionnaire to answer in this research. According to Natasha Devon (2016), doing exercise, eating and drinking plenty of water regularly should be done in a person’s life routine. This are some of her golden rules that are impressed to people that are not used to do those rules. The participants involves grades 9-12 students and teachers in IPSJ.

Research Instruments

The study uses purposive sampling to collect data. A purposive sampling is choosing only some participants to answer or participate on the study (Ritchie et al. , 2003). The purposive sampling involves some questions about mental health so that students and teacher will be aware and for them to know about their status on their health.