Mental Health Literacy for Depression and Schizophrenia among Undergraduate Students

**Title of the project :**Mental Health Literacy for Depression and Schizophrenia among Undergraduate Students

Type of Study :   Cross Sectional Study

Aims & objectives :Aim : To study the Mental Health Literacy of depression and schizophrenia among undergraduate students

Objective: To check the level of Mental Health Literacy for depression and schizophrenia among undergraduate students across India

Summary of the study *:*When it comes to mental illnesses, many people are neither aware of the issues nor open to treatment of such issues under qualified professionals because of the social stigma regarding these disorders even among the educated individuals. Being affected with a mental health disorder is seen as a crippling disability in the social sphere and a high percentage of people do not admit to suffering from a disorder in the open. The issue of labelling individuals who suffer from mental health disorders poses a threat to a desirable social identity according to a vast majority and this is the reason that attitudes towards help seeking behaviour are not very favourable. Depression is a major problem that young adults face in India. At times, they are unable to take the pressure of all the responsibilities that come their way as they delve into adulthood and strive to seek independence, leading them to take the drastic step of committing suicide because they are unable to face the social stigma that is attached to seeking help in terms of therapy. In terms of Schizophrenia, people who suffer from it are labelled as “mad†or “crazy†and not much thought is put into the accurate diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the disorder. Creating awareness about these disorders becomes extremely important as a beginning to tackling the social stigma associated with mental illness. Merely labelling a mental health disorder is not what Mental Health Literacy constitutes. Apart from rightly identifying a disorder, the forms of treatment, the prognosis and attitudes towards seeking help from professionals also fall under its purview. There is growing evidence that the courses of these disorders can be changed with more sensitivity and awareness about the disorders. Students can act as change-makers regarding mental health in the wider community. They have the power to create a more sensitive future generation, which is why their awareness of mental health issues is of primary importance to a community. This study is conducted across the country with the intent to study the level of Mental Health Literacy that young adults have regarding depression, which is the most common disorder young adults face, and schizophrenia, a grossly mislabelled psychotic disorder, which is seen in a very negative light in terms of treatment and prognosis.