On Oct. 24, the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), unveiled his policy blueprint to enhance the social welfare system for elderly, disabled and young people.
Speaking at his National Project of Hope news conference, Lai said it was important to provide mental health support to young people and expressed concern about the rising number of mental disorders among the young due to intense competition and rapid global changes.
Lai proposed extending the psychological counseling services offered by the Mental Health Support Program for Young People to elementary-school students. The program is currently only available to people aged 15 to 30, who can use the service up to three times for free.
If properly utilized, this service could be extremely beneficial to the mental condition of elementary-school students. A survey conducted last year by the non-governmental organization Good Neighbors Taiwan showed that 13.8 percent of 3,900 elementary-school students admitted to having serious suicidal thoughts, mainly due to academic pressure and family problems. By providing sufficient aid, the negative psychological condition that those students endure might be effectively alleviated.
Unfortunately, a potential shortage of counseling services could make it difficult to implement this proposal. A month after the program was rolled out in August, most counseling centers in Taipei and Taichung said they were no longer accepting new registrations. Concern has been raised that inadequate resources might hinder the process of identifying high-risk cases, causing the condition of mentally ill people to deteriorate.
To address this problem, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to allocate another NT$78.43 million (US$2.44 million) to expand the program to cover more regions and accommodate about 16,000 more applicants. With this additional budget, the ministry is confident that more needs can be met.
Nevertheless, even if the program is extended to students younger than 15, people in this age group might not access the service. They might not understand the purpose of having psychological consultations, or realize that they might be experiencing mental instability despite being subconsciously depressed. The government should therefore incorporate mental health lessons into the elementary-school curriculum to increase awareness among students about their mental condition. Once they are equipped with knowledge about mental health, they would be more willing to seek professional help.
Besides providing psychological care to students, it is also crucial that the education system be improved to reduce academic stress. Elementary schools typically require students to arrive at school at about 7:30am, which many consider to be too early. Students are also burdened with an overwhelming amount of homework, which deprives them of free time and quality rest at home. By making the education system less academic-centric and placing more emphasis on flexible learning, students might experience a significant decline in their level of depression.
While it is great that Lai and his campaign team have endeavored to find practical solutions to address mental illnesses, it is important to also look at their limitations. Hopefully, through a thorough revision of key policies and regular communication with students, the government will be able to fully protect the mental well-being of the younger generation and usher in a happier and more promising future for the nation.
Tshua Siu-ui is a Taiwanese student studying international relations and politics in Norwich, England.
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