On Thursday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) presided over the first meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee, in which experts shared great insights. I shall also give my opinion as follows:
For all students: Taiwan should include courses on mental health in primary and secondary-school curricula to remove stigma towrd mental illnesses, and to enhance emotional intelligence and psychological resilience.
To achieve these goals, teachers should be provided with materials and vocational training.
For vulnerable students: The nation should establish an early-stage care system. All teachers should undergo vocational training on mental health that would provide them with the knowledge and capability to care for students and identify those in need.
The aim is to provide a “healing” campus for students.
For students in need of psychological help: Taiwan should combine psychiatric care and the existing counseling system to support the latter.
Every student faces a different kind of mental challenge. Some of these challenges can improve with the help of teachers, counselors and psychologists.
Some students have emotional disorders, while some have difficulties with impulse control, and some are at risk of injuring themselves or others.
There might be biological reasons, family issues or social factors contributing to their circumstances.
However, the lack of psychiatric care support exhausts teachers and counselors.
There should be an inter-departmental working group between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to promote mental health on campus.
Resources such as campus security systems, counseling services, hospitals and clinics should be integrated with to promote knowledge relating to mental health, remove stigma, identify and care for students in need, provide early intervention and offer treatments in terms of medicine, counseling and family therapy.
If young people take good care of their mental and physical health, it would prepare them to face pressure in life such as in the workplace and with family, and to pursue life goals and contribute positively to society.
Lin Jin-jia is a psychiatrist.
Translated by Fion Khan
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