Beyond Textbooks: Delhi School Project Shines Light on Kids’ Mental Health Battles

Beyond Textbooks: Delhi School Project Shines Light on Kids’ Mental Health Battles

Beneath the familiar hum of classrooms and chatter of hallways, a silent storm brews in the minds of many Delhi schoolchildren. Anxiety, bullying, and strained family relations – these are not just childhood hiccups, but the harsh realities revealed by a year-long project focused on the mental health of students in the capital.

Session notes from children’s therapy sessions with Simran Kaur revealed concerns about bullying, difficulty focusing on schoolwork, and an absence of social skills. A year ago, counsellor Lovisha Arora worked with pupils at a public school in Delhi to better understand their feelings via a variety of activities, including interactive art courses. After a year in the classroom, the knowledge she imparted has shed light on the emotional well-being of Delhi’s elementary school students.

This initiative, dubbed “School Mental Health,” witnessed counsellors like Lovisha Arora and Simran Kaur embark on a crucial mission: understanding the emotional landscapes of students from Classes VI to XII. Through engaging art classes and insightful sessions, they unveiled a panorama of challenges affecting young minds. As part of an initiative called School Mental Health, the Delhi government partnered with the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Science (IHBAS) to provide primary mental health services in schools under the Directorate of Education and capture how kids from Classes VI to XII grappled with mental health problems and bullying.

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The pandemic cast a long shadow, as Lovisha observed. Children returned to school grappling with a new reality – anger, screen addiction, and even self-harm marred their well-being. The isolation and loss of loved ones during the lockdown left scars that ran deeper than academic anxieties.

For Simran, a painting exercise exposed the pervasive presence of anger. Children painted their palms red, a silent cry for attention amidst strained family dynamics. Dr Aparna Goyal, part of the project, confirmed this disconnect – students from lower-income families often lacked parental support, burdened by conversations focused on basic needs, not emotional well-being.

Bullying emerged as another monster in the shadows. Witnessing violence at home or encountering abusive language fueled aggression, breeding further bullying behaviours. Dr Goyal noted that exposure to violent content online also played a role in shaping aggressive tendencies. But amidst the darkness, flickers of hope remain. Counsellors became pillars of support, offering safe spaces for students to voice their struggles. The project’s success lies not just in identifying issues, but in building bridges – between children and their families, between students and teachers, and most importantly, between young minds and the understanding they desperately need.

Problems including anxiety, screen addiction, and rage were more apparent when kids returned to class. Lovisha warned that kids would hurt themselves, drink too much, smoke too much, and skip class if she let them. The lack of communication between children in grades six through twelve and their parents was a typical source of tension and anxiety for these adolescents. Additionally, children from low-income families did not have the support of their parents. As their parents struggle to make ends meet or are overwhelmed with work, their children miss out on meaningful talks with them. Counsellors and the IHBAS team often had to encourage parents to talk about ways they might support their children.

The School Mental Health project serves as a wake-up call. It reminds us that the challenges faced by Delhi’s students go beyond textbooks and exams. Their mental health deserves as much attention, as much care, as their academic pursuits. By fostering empathetic spaces, providing access to crucial resources, and breaking the silence surrounding mental health, we can equip children with the tools they need to navigate the storms within and build lives filled not just with knowledge, but with hope and healing.