Training programme held on Positive Mental Health through Life Skills

ALIGARH : A three-day training programme, entitled, “Positive Mental Health through Life Skills”, organized by the Women’s College, Aligarh Muslim University, and sponsored by the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, began here on March 4.

Prof Naima Khatoon, Principal, Women’s College, drew attention to the increasing rate of suicides in students and stressed the importance of organizing awareness programmes to address cultural shock and adjustment issues in residential universities.

Prof Mirza Asmer Beg, Dean, Faculty of Social Science, discussed the influence of Western culture on Indian society and advocated for preserving non-materialistic cultural values.

Earlier, welcoming the guests and participants, Prof Shah Alam, Programme Coordinator, emphasized the significance of addressing mental health issues among Indian youth. He discussed the alarming statistics on the prevalence of mental illnesses, and life skills as a technique to maintain positive mental health. He called for taking proactive measures, especially for adolescents facing various stressors.

Prof Gauri Shankar, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, elaborated on the prejudices, discriminations, and mental health challenges, and emphasized the transformative impact of the Mental Health Act, 2018 and the cultivation of essential life skills to address mental health issues in youth.

Prof Raashid Nehal, Department of English, AMU, highlighted the intersection of communication skills and mental health. He stressed the significance of effective communication, discussing multi-literacy and multimodality in communicative practices.

Prof Masoom Raza, Department of Library and Information Science, AMU, presented a scientometric study on mental health research in North India and provided valuable insights into the evolving landscape of mental health research from 2010 to 2023.