08 Oct 2024|Noida | Amity University, Noida
Amity University celebrates World Mental Health Day 2024
Amity Institute of Behavioural Health and Allied Sciences (AIBHAS), Amity University Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), Noida is celebrating ‘World Mental Health Day’ on the theme, “It is the time to prioritise Mental Health at Workplace”, with an aim to promote awareness towards mental health providing care and management along with enhancing wellbeing.
Deliberating on the topic, “What makes us happy at Workplace”, Dr. Manas Mandal, Distinguished Professor at Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, averred, “If we stop focusing on happiness, it will be much easier to attain it. The lonely pursuit of happiness separates us from others. Denying negative emotions cannot bring us happiness since negative emotions are important tools for growth and learning. Many times, employees are under a lot of performance pressure which takes a toll on their mental health.” He urged the students to redefine success at workplace, manage the uncertainty of every day of life and build their career. “Develop strategies for better mental health at the workplace and deal with daily problems in a clam manner, by finding a synergy between your ability and interests.”, said Dr. Mandal.
He advised the students that in order to improve mental health at the workplace, understand yourself, set priorities and develop communication skills, along with a growth mindset. “Mental health is a major concern these days and in future a large number of people will need psychiatrists and counsellors, so the students must prepare themselves to become a good mental health expert.”, he further added.
Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, said, “As we know, the importance of good mental health cannot be ignored and Amity strongly believes in the mental well-being of students, therefore we have created Amity Centre for Happiness where students can find solutions to their mental health related problems, with the help of experts.”
Deliberating on the topic, “Policies and Framework for Destigmatizing the Mental Illness”, Dr. Jitendra Nagpal, Program Director of Expression India & Psychiatrist (Senior Consultant), Moolchand Hospital, Delhi, opined, “At present, the Department of Mental Health is a part of almost all the hospitals. HR professionals of a company should play an important role for ensuring better mental health of employees at workplace. Today there are about 20 thousand psychiatrists and counsellors in the country but there is a need of about 5 lakhs, so there are plenty of employment opportunities for the students in this field.”
Welcoming the guests, Dr. Kalpana Srivastava, Director, Amity Institute of Behaviour (Health) and Allied Sciences (AIBHAS), said, “Mental Health promotion and enhancement of wellbeing is as important as physical health. These days, people are suffering from a lot of anxiety and stress, and they must not hesitate to seek professional help if they are unable to cope with it. The expected learning outcomes will help in understanding how to cope with difficult times in personal and professional life, create awareness and promote overall workplace productivity.”
On this occasion, a Panel Discussion on the theme 'Destigmatizing Mental Illness: Acceptance & Vulnerabilities at workplace” was also held wherein expert panelists Dr. Nimisha Kumar, President of the Indian Association for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Senior Psychologist & CBT Expert, Dr. Sayantani Sen, Executive Director, The Judge Group of India, Noida and Dr. Jagdish Sadiza, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Mann Samvaad Psychotherapy Clinic, New Delhi, shared their insights on mental health, in addition to a Poster Making and Slogan Competition.