According to the manual, each school or group of schools must establish a mental health advisory panel.
“It should be chaired by the principal and have teachers, parents, students and alumni as members. It will raise awareness and also plan and enforce an annual age and gender appropriate school mental health program.
Schools must have a provision to identify behavior, substance use and self-harm, depression and developmental issues, provide first aid and make appropriate referrals,” he said.
Bearing in mind that mental health problems most often arise early in life, with half of all mental health conditions arising by the time people are 14 and three-quarters by the age of 25, The NCERT has recommended that in addition to families and Parents and teachers be aware of the early warning signs, as they too are the primary caregivers.
“Teachers must be trained to identify the first signs in students of attachment problems, separation anxiety, school refusal, communication problems, anxiety patterns, depressive states, behavior-related problems, excessive use of the Internet, hyperactivity, intellectual disability and learning disabilities,” he said.
“Teachers should discuss instances of bullying in class and empower students by educating them about bullying. They should provide a confidential way for students to report any incidents of concern to them,” the handbook says.
.
