Mental Health is an important part of our lives. According to WHO (2001) “health is a state of complete physical, psychological and social well-being”. Mental Health is a state of well-being, whereby individuals are able to perform better and make an informed decision. It is also about rehabilitation of individuals affected with mental health disorders so that they can also be part of the society (WHO, 2014).

Mental health is realizing our potentials and abilities. It is being able to handle daily pressures in our lives. Mental health is also about learning to cope and thrive in stressful situations. Therefore, mental health is vital to our lives as it enables us to think, feel, and interact with our social world. Being mentally healthy is essential in making a contribution to the society. However, with the current pandemic, the world is in dire need for mental health awareness. Accordingly, the past few months have been challenging times to health care workers, students, teachers, businesses, parents and to the community at large at every corner of the world (Zhou et al., 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic not only created uncertainty but also fear and loss for many, but far reaching effects on mental well-being of individuals in the society (Alradhawi et al., 2020).

Research indicates that mental health issues are prevalent in the Maldives. For example, findings on the types of mental health issues among adolescents in the Maldives revealed that 23% reported being anxious frequently, where as 24% reported being depressed,77.6% reported low behaviour control, 37% were low on general positive affect, 55% had weaker emotional ties with significant others in their lives (Nasheeda et al., 2016). Despite the prevalence rate, many people suffer in silence from mental health issues in the Maldives. One of the reason for this is that many refused to seek help due to stigma and negativity surrounding mental health and those seeking help (Zalif, 2019). Mental health is a human right. The World Mental Health Day is marked on 10th October every year. It is a day for global health education, create awareness and advocacy. This year’s theme is

Mental Health for All

Greater Investment – Greater Access

With this goal in mind, Villa College’s Psychology students are taking initiative to create awareness and advocacy on mental health issues. Students will be creating positive messages around mental health issues through posters.

We hope to reach a wide audience through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We are excited for the virtual poster presentations by the students. Stay tuned and look for our hashtags on social media and we invite you to be part of this initiative!

By: Dr. Aishath Nasheeda

Bachelors in Psychology Programme Coordinator

Reference

Alradhawi, M., Shubber, N., Sheppard, J., & Ali, Y. (2020). Effects of COVID- 19 pandemic on mental well-being amongst individuals in society- A letter to the editor on “The socio-economic implications of the coronovirus and COVID -19 pandemic: A review.” International Journal of Surgery, 78(January), 147–148.

Nasheeda, A., Hassan, N. C., & Hassan, S. A. (2016). Relationships between bullies, victims and mental health among adolescents in Maldives. The Maldives National Journal of Research, 5(1), 23–44.

World Health Organization. (2001). Mental health: New understanding, new hope.

Zalif, Z. (2019). Stigma surrounding mental health in Maldives must end! Raajje.Mv. https://raajje.mv/55106

Zhou, Y., Macgeorge, E. L., & Myrick, J. G. (2020). Mental health and its predictors during the early months of the covid-19 pandemic experience in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176315