We shouldn’t leave even one person who is feeling lonely in their mental state
H.E. President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
Everyone is constantly battling their own demons, especially students that have to face the stress of deadlines and exams. But sadly, we have to fight these battles on our own as the stigma against mental health is still strong.
Today, mental health awareness is still sparse, let alone how to practically approach mental health issues. This why more accessible Mental Health First Aid Courses like KSU’s are so important.
KSU have just successfully closed off their first ever course for Mental Health First Aid last Saturday. They have topped off their success by announcing a second course, again in collaboration with Richmond Foundation and the President’s Trust. We talked to KSU, the President and students themselves to listen to why they think courses like these are valuable and even essential especially today.
Although already studying psychology, the students commended the course nonetheless for providing essential tools to control crises and calm panicked situations. Topics that may have already been studied in lectures “were tackled from a different perspective – that of a first aider”. The course enables you to listen non-judgmentally and give support and information. One student even claimed to have already made use of what she learnt:
Only this week it happened that one of my university friends needed the first helping hand as they were going through a psychological crisis.
The KSU social policy office explained to us how they believe that “it is imperative to tackle the constant struggle students face” because of the pressure induced from academic life. This is why they were delighted to say that H.E. the President of Malta has offered to help KSU organise another mental health first aid course for yet another 20 students. They encourage more student to apply so that they can make the change in their friends’ and family’s lives.