How Can Students Avoid a Mental Breakdown?

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health), out of every four students, one of them has some form of mental breakdown. Over 50 per cent of the students are struggling to cope with studies due to related psychological problems.

More than 80 per cent of the same are ready to give up studies given other options. Out of the total student body, only 40 per cent report their problems to school management for help. This is according to a research survey conducted among college students.

This article discusses the various remedies that, if properly implemented, will help students bring down the effects of stress to save students from a total mental breakdown. 

Read More: How to Reduce Sleep Deprivation in College Students?

What Are the Mitigation Measures?

Some proven measures students can apply to avoid mental breakdown include

Seek Counselling Services

According to statistics by the National Alliance on mental health, only 40 per cent of students report how they either feel to parents, school authority or seek medications. Students must be encouraged to either seek help by calling the school hotline and report their conditions or contact the nearest counselling office. 

Balance Between Studies and Leisure

Students should engage in physical exercise, dancing, entertainment, athletics, and sporting activities to neutralize the effect of mental breakdown. Too much bookwork makes a student dull and can be a significant source of stress that develops into a full-blown mental perturbation. 

Healthy Eating

Students should not miss meals in the name of studying hard for examinations. It is healthy for students to eat well to maintain a healthy mind. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be served on time, and all students must eat.

In day schools where students come from home, it is appropriate for the school management to introduce food programs to cater to all students.  

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Study Leaves

Students with symptoms of depressions should proceed for Study leave to relax and resume studies later when their condition improves. The wise once said that prevention is better than cure.

Students should plan their education in a manner that does not allow room for stress. The student should punctuate their study time with free periods for relaxation and recovery. 

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Report Any Issue to School Authorities

The student should raise any problem they have with the school management through proper channels promptly. These may be issues touching on their welfare so that the same can be addressed amicably to avoid the build-up of stress.

On the other hand, the management needs to address such issues raised within a reasonable time to prevent mass mental breakdown among the student body. 

Study in a Quiet Place 

The student should conduct studies in a tranquil place devoid of noise and other disturbances. Sound is a source of stress to the mind and should be avoided at all times. Studying while watching television or listening to loud music is not a healthy exercise 

Sufficient Sleep

Sleeping 8 or 9 hours is recommended for a healthy student’s mind. Tortuous studies throughout the night are not fit for the brain and may lead to stress, which may lead to a mental breakdown. To maintain a healthy and sound mental health, make it a routine to sleep by 9 pm daily and wake up by 5 am to prepare for school.  

Prepare Easy to Read Lesson Notes

Personal notes are essential and easy to understand than borrowed lecture notes, which may confuse a student. Therefore, students should endeavour to prepare their notes for revision purposes.

Revise Well Before Exams

Students should hold regular revision and ask questions in grey areas they are not clear about. These will reduce the stress of researching on things they do not understand for a long time only to get mixed up and confused. 

Attend Class Regularly

Missing classes is another source of stress for the students. All students must endeavour to attend lessons regularly to avoid being left behind in lessons. Students who miss classes often could not cope with the academic pressure and, finally, get stressed and drop out of school.  

Obey Rules and Regulations

Students who are always at loggerheads with the administration for non-compliance with laid down rules and procedures ever come under punishment, which may lead to stressful conditions and, finally, mental breakdown. Obedience to school authorities and compliance with policies makes a student confident within the school.  

Drugs and Substance Abuse

Students should avoid drugs and substance abuse, as these are sources of stress, depression, and final mental breakdown. Many students who bow to peer pressure and lousy company often find themselves involved with these illegal products hence putting their chances for excelling in education in jeopardy. 

Love Relationships

Students should refrain from getting involved in love affairs before completing their studies. Many students have suffered stress and even committed suicide when such relationships break up.

Others find themselves engaging in fistfights with serious repercussions. Many are the cases where students spent their school fees in entertaining their partners hence dropping out of school after their parents refuse to continue paying their school fees.

Many school girls have also lost out of school as a result of unwanted pregnancies. Students should stay focused on their studies and shun any form of relationship to escape away from the stress that comes with the same, which may lead to total mental collapse. 

Conclusion

Mental breakdown, feeling dizzy, sad, and confusion are some of the experiences students have to contend with daily. This feeling worsens, especially towards examination periods. Some students may not cope with this feeling and drop out of school in the process.

Some literary swim with the tide and find themselves not excelling in both internal and final examinations. Forgetfulness is ordinary even in the examination room for content as recent as yesterday.

The mental breakdown among students is not an aspect, which can be ignored by any educational institution. Proper mechanisms must exist to address identified cases among students to mitigate the negative aftermath of suppressed depression.

No issue reported by the student should be swept under the carpet without action as has happened in the past in most institutions of higher learning.