According to the World Health Organization, it is a crucial aspect of health and well-being that supports our capacity to make choices, form bonds with others, and influence the world in which we live, both individually and collectively. People who are in a condition of mental health are able to manage life’s stressors, reach their full potential, learn and work effectively, and give back to their communities. A fundamental human right is mental health. Additionally, it is essential for socioeconomic, communal, and personal growth.
By encouraging open discussions about mental health, offering culturally sensitive support networks, and informing communities about available resources, we can address the particular difficulties that African students face, such as the stigma associated with mental illness, academic pressure, socioeconomic disparities, and limited access to mental health services.
Also Read: How to Prevent Common Diseases in Africa
Factors impacting the mental health of African students
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Socioeconomic stressors like poverty
- Lack of access to high-quality education
- Exposure to violence
- Cultural stigma around mental health
- Academic pressure
- Social isolation
- Homesickness when leaving home for university
- Financial constraints and
- Lack of culturally appropriate mental health services.
Determinants of Mental Health in African Students
Throughout our lives, multiple individual, social, and structural determinants may combine to protect or undermine our mental health and shift our position on the mental health continuum.
Individual psychological and biological factors such as emotional skills, substance use and genetics can make people more vulnerable to mental health punfavorablefavorableavorablesocial, geopolitical and environmentcircumstances—overty, violence, iniinequality, environmental deprivation— people’s risk of experiencing mental health conditions.
What risk?
Risks can manifest themselves at all stages of life, but those that occur during developmentally sensitive periods, especially early childhood, are particularly detrimental. For example, harsh parenting and physical punishment arareeee known to undermine childhealth,,h,,, and bullying is a leading risk factor for mental health conditions.
Important things to think about in the mental Health of African students
Dealing with Stigma during Community Outreach: Dispel myths and normalize conversations about mental health by interacting with elders and community leaders.
Culturally Relevant Language: When talking about mental health issues, use terminology and examples that are relevant to African culture.
Models of Behavior: Emphasize accomplished Africans who have been candid about their issues with mental health.
Initiatives in Education for Mental Health in Africa
School Curriculum: Include instruction on mental health in the curriculum to teach students about common mental health issues, coping strategies, and where to get support.
Peer Support Programs: Set up support groups for students to help one another and share experiences.
Teacher Education: Educate educators on how to spot mental health symptoms in students and offer them basic assistance.
Support Systems That Are Accessible:
Mental health experts: Make more culturally aware and African-community-aware mental health experts available.
Telehealth care: To increase access to mental health care in remote locations, make use of telehealth possibilities.
Neighborhood-Based Support Groups: Create support groups in your neighborhood that are run by qualified facilitators.
How to improve the mental health of African students
Raising awareness and de-stigmatizing mental health issues:
Have empathy for people who suffer from mental illness. Be open and truthful about treatment; address mental health issues as you would any other medical condition. Inform the media when they are presenting stories about mental illness in a stigmatizing manner or using terminology that is stigmatizing.
Offering easily accessible mental health services on campus:
Students may be more inclined to seek treatment early if stigma is lessened through education and initiatives, and mental health applications and online therapy sessions might offer prompt assistance.
Encouraging constructive coping strategies like mindfulness and exercise:
Assisting people in lowering their anxiousness and being in the moment. Asking friends for help: Talking to loved ones helps people feel better emotionally. Exercise also elevates mood by releasing endorphins.
Creating supportive social networks:
Building a supportive social network for mental health entails actively connecting with people who can offer understanding, practical help, and emotional support. This creates a sense of community and enables people to talk freely about their experiences with mental health without fear of being judged. Techniques for doing this include joining support groups, forming close friendships, contacting family members, and using online communities devoted to mental health.
Tackling systemic issues like socioeconomic inequality and academic pressure:
A multifaceted strategy that includes policy changes, community-based interventions, education reform, and expanded access to reasonably priced mental health services—with a focus on vulnerable populations most impacted by these pressures—is essential to addressing systemic problems like socioeconomic inequality and academic pressure that affect mental health.
Preparing teachers to recognize and assist students with mental health issues—all while taking cultural sensitivity into account and customizing interventions accordingly.
Importance of good mental health in African students
African students need to have good mental health because it has a direct impact on their academic performance, social development, and general well-being. This is especially important given the potential stigma associated with mental health issues in African communities. It enables them to overcome obstacles, develop resilience, and realize their full potential while navigating frequently complex social and economic environments.
5 Key reasons why good mental health is important for African students
African students should prioritize their mental health for the following main reasons:
Academic success: Better focus, concentration, and learning skills are made possible by a pleasant mental state, which enhances academic performance.
Social development: Students who are in good mental health are better able to form wholesome bonds with others, resolve disputes amicably, and take an active role in their communities.
Building resilience: Coping skills acquired by mental health awareness can assist students in overcoming obstacles such as family problems, discrimination, and poverty.
Decreased risk of mental health disorders: Education and early intervention can help shield people from major mental health issues later in life.
Reducing stigma: Encouraging candid discussions about mental health helps lessen the stigma attached to getting treatment, motivating African students to put their mental health first.
Conclusion
The Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030, which aims to improve mental health by bolstering governance, offering community-based care, putting promotion and prevention strategies into practice, and bolstering information systems, evidence, and research, is something that all WHO member states are dedicated to putting into practice.
WHO’s World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All urged all nations to prioritize mental health promotion and prevention, increase the value placed on mental health, and establish networks of community-based services in order to expedite the implementation of the action plan.
In order to guarantee that 100 million additional people in 12 priority countries have access to high-quality and reasonably priced mental health care, WHO announced the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health (2019–2023): Universal Health Coverage for Mental Health in 2019. Scaling up services for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders is another goal of WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), particularly in low- and middle-income nations.
WHO has created a thorough set of training and guidance materials as part of the QualityRights Initiative to increase capacity in delivering mental health treatment that integrates human rights and recovery.