The World Health Organisation defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity”. This definition can be found in school textbooks as well. Yet, mental health and mental illness are not discussed in a classroom as much, or as openly, as physical health. Why is it important to engage with the topic of mental health in a classroom? What might such an engagement look like? What has been the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of students, teachers, people in isolation and the elderly? What can teachers do to support their family and students, and strengthen their own mental & emotional resilience?

Vijeta Raghuram discussed these and more such questions with Dr. Avantika Bhatia, an Assistant professor of psychology at Ashoka University and a psychotherapist for adults in an online interactive discussion. Bhatia is one of the key authors of the articles on mental health that were originally published by the Indian Scientists’ Response to COVID-19 (ISRC) and later re-published in the October 2020 issue of i wonder…, namely:

1. Mental health of children during the COVID-19 outbreak
2. Mental health of people in isolation
3. Mental health of the elderly during the COVID -19 outbreak