The Department of Psychology, St. Teresa’s College, commemorated World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October 2022. World Mental Health Day is marked every year on October 10 to raise awareness about mental health around the world and to mobilize efforts to support those experiencing mental health issues. Every year the World Health Organization (WHO) organizes a global campaign on World Mental Health Day for mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma. This year’s theme is Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority. With regard to this, the Department of Psychology organized a seminar on the topic of Managing Depression and Anxiety to raise awareness of the same among students and faculty members. The Seminar was held in the Arts Block of the campus from 9.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.
The Seminar was led by Dr. Elsie Oommen a Consultant Psychiatrist at Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi. Dr. Elsie Oomen has more than 10 years of experience in the field of Psychiatry, including 4 years of teaching experience in different Medical Colleges.
Dr. Elsie Oommen engaged the students on various aspects of mental health, including identifying signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety, causes of depression and anxiety, like substance abuse, toxic relationships, academic stress, peer relationships, conflicts with parents and authority figures, and so on. She also spoke about choosing healthy coping ways for depression and anxiety.
The seminar was attended by the UG and PG students of the department along with the faculty of the Psychology department. Her session helped the participants gain insight into coping with mental health issues.