Awantipora,: With the aim to educate students about mental well-being, a counselling session was organized by the office of Dean Outreach at IUST. The resource person of the session was Dr. Harshdeep Joshi, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Maharishi Markendeshwar Medical College and Hospital.
The interactive session primarily focussed on the identification of mental stress and initiatives to mitigate the impact of the stress on the physical as well as psychological health of the students. Speaking about the relevance of interactive counselling, Dr. Lily Want, Dean Outreach IUST said, “Student well-being is foundational to academic success.
It is imperative therefore that institutions of higher learning develop policies and programmes that help us normalize mental health”. Dr. Joshi spoke at length about the different forms of stress, anxiety, and depression, and discussed the measures to overcome them. “Seeking help in distress depicts strength and not weakness and it helps to break the stigma associated with mental illness”, she said. She also deliberated upon the impact of excessive use of electronic gadgets on mental health.

KR Desk