In today's fast-paced world, we are exposed to many stimuli: we encounter many stressful situations at the university, work, or simply during our daily tasks. Recognizing this problem, the UP Medical School organized the Mental Health Days between 9 and 10 October as part of the Well-being concept. We talked to Dr. Boróka Gács, research associate professor at the Medical School Department of Behavioural Sciences and head of the Psychology Counselling (Pszikon), about mental well-being and the programs of the Mental Health Days.
How can you distinguish between a temporary state of stress and anxiety and an actual mental illness?
We do not necessarily have to draw a very sharp line between the two. If only because it is an extremely important mission for many mental health professionals that it is not a stigma, it is not something to be ashamed of, it is not something to be hidden away, and it is not necessarily associated with psychopathological symptoms. The more coping skills and strategies we can learn, the better we can protect ourselves from the possibility of actually developing a mental illness that is much harder to reverse.
“Stress is the spice of life” - as the world-famous stress researcher János Selye aptly put it. This means we need all the stress to survive, move forward, and be motivated. In other words, it is not fundamentally bad; what matters is what we do with it.
What common sources of stress do university students encounter, and what impact can these have on their mental health?
Most often, they do not have learning problems but relationship difficulties. The other most common issues are general stress management and the accumulation of negative life events. Whether it is a personal loss or failure of an exam, all kinds of crises are included.
The reason is prosaic: young adulthood goes hand in hand with its normative, or natural, crises. The problems of learning and skills deficits appear equally frequently, but it usually becomes clear very soon that something else is behind them. So, how they perform at the university is the surface under which the difficulties lie. They are not necessarily academic-related, but learning is also essential because the Medical School has a considerable workload.
How can a harmonious balance between academic studies and mental health be achieved? Can you provide concrete examples and advise the students?
I always reply to these specific advice questions: “I wish I had a recipe for mental health that was right for everyone and equally good for everyone. In psychology, what works for whom is peculiar. This is also reflected in the fact that in counselling, we use a vast range of methods for each problem in a personalized manner.
There is no golden rule on how always to be well. Undoubtedly, the most important thing is to take care of ourselves and not treat it as a taboo or a stigma. If we can look at mental health not as a luxury but as something fundamentally necessary, then we have done much for our well-being. After all, we need to be able to do our work effectively or be well in any area of our lives.
Can you identify any trends in mental illnesses in the last 5-10-20 years at the global level, in Hungary in general, and regarding young people and university students?
As knowledge and science develop, and we know more and more about the human body, more and more diseases and illnesses are diagnosed. The science of psychology is also evolving; more and more things are being discovered, and the discourse about it will be considered less and less a stigma or taboo. Many things that could not have been revealed before are coming to light.
The literature suggests that society has undergone such significant changes and traumas over the past half-decade that mental well-being has generally declined. This has been particularly studied among medical students. The pandemic situation and the war having put extra burdens on society have also been thoroughly researched. Among medical students and healthcare workers in particular, the prevalence of burnout, depression, and post-traumatic stress syndrome have increased in recent years.
What was the primary purpose and message of the Mental Health Days?
The Well-Being concept of the Medical School in Pécs focuses on the well-being of the School’s staff and students. Mental well-being is a very important sub-unit of the concept, and we, i.e., Pszikon, are also involved in it. Within the Medical School in Pécs, we are primarily the ones who deal with the development of mental well-being, emphasizing its importance. The Mental Health Days were a campaign fitting closely into the series of group programs announced throughout the year. We wanted to have a period dedicated to this theme when we would focus specifically on it and highlight the role and importance of mental health.
The event was scheduled for the beginning of October because World Mental Health Day is on 10 October. The primary aim of the Mental Health Days was to deal with and talk about our mental health without taboos and stigmas. This is one of the most important keys to being well and being able to ask for help when we need it.
Can we highlight one or two very successful programs?
It is hard to single out the programs; we put them together in such a varied way so that everyone could choose what they needed. The pet therapy workshop was a great success; the student and staff group registrations were both full.
As part of this, the SzuperMancs Foundation held a relaxing session with three dogs in the Dean's Conference Room, which also taught me something. The kind of wisdom these puppies have could also be translated into our lives. Dogs are cooperative and motivated when they are in a safe environment that suits them and when they know they are getting the rewards they deserve. When they are not working, they go on a break and rest. We could learn that from them because if that is all we did in our lives, i.e., motivating ourselves when we need to perform and rewarding ourselves, we would feel much better.
What programs focus on preserving mental health at the Medical School in Pécs? What help can students and staff ask for if needed?
The Psychology Counselling was established specifically for this purpose. It has been running for 15 years, and we organize individual and group sessions. For example, a 5-session Mindfulness group is currently taking place and is expected to continue in the spring. In addition, various self-knowledge and personal development groups and an autogenic training group are also organized regularly. You can also learn about our newly launched programs on our social media pages.