The Apeejay Education organised a special session on mental health with the help of eminent psychiatrist Jitendra Nagpal, who is the head of the mental health department at Moolchand Hospital and is the Program Director at Expressions India. The session was held for teachers, parents and students and was titled ‘Reaching Out - Connecting Hearts’.
The purpose of the webinar was to help everyone cope up emotionally with the present situation which is unprecedented in its magnitude and gravity causing immense fear, worry and concern. Dr Nagpal opined: “We have thermometers and oximeters to check the body’s temperature and oxygen levels respectively. However, there is no device to check people’s mental health. It can only be through compassion, empathy and conversations with people.”
During the session, Dr Nagpal observed that adolescents are highly vulnerable to mental health issues during the pandemic. Parents need to deal with them in a friendly manner to understand their issues and thought processes.
The doctor emphasised the importance of gathering strength from the experiences of elders in families. “Elders in our families can play a great role in boosting our mental health. Ask them to share how they coped with similar difficult situations in their lives,” he said. Sharing his concerns on the disturbed sleeping patterns of people during the pandemic, he recommended taking care of quality sleeping time at night.
The session was followed by a question and answer round where teachers took guidance from Dr Nagpal on handling children’s queries and anxieties in tricky situations during the pandemic. He also suggested that schools and institutions should build a continual relationship with students even during the summer vacations by conducting special sessions.
