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The renowned mental health specialist, a graduate of the University of Chile, professor at King's College London, and senior researcher at the Millennium Nucleus Imhay, participated in the launch of the Mental Health and Coexistence Commission of the Council of Rectors (CRUCH). This body, which brings together various experts, has the initial objective of developing a mental health assessment of the diverse realities within the universities that comprise the organization.
In the Hall of Honor of the Central House of the University of Chile, university authorities, academics and students gathered yesterday, Thursday, November 2nd, to participate in the Launch of the Mental Health and Coexistence Commission belonging to the Council of Rectors (CRUCH), an entity that brings together specialists in the field and rectors of higher education institutions.
The rector of the University of Chile participated in the meeting, Rosa Devés; the vice-rector, Alejandra Mizala; the executive vice president of CRUCH, rector of the University of Tarapacá, Emilio Rodriguez (remotely) the rector of the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE), Elisa Araya; the rector of the Catholic University of Chile, Ignacio Sánchez; the General Secretary of CRUCH, María Angélica Bosch; the , Director of Student Welfare and Development at the University of Chile, Pamela Díaz-Romero; the vice-rectors Enrique Aliste, Josiane Bonnefoy and Pilar Barba, among other guests.
The activity included a talk by 2022 National Prize for Applied Sciences and Technologies, Dr. Ricardo Araya, In her address, she referred to the mental health of university students, noting that providing attention in this area is a priority, along with the creation of the Mental Health and Coexistence Commission within the Council of Rectors. “This initiative is of great importance. Everything done for young people is highly relevant,” she said, adding that “The future is in the hands of young people,” therefore, what “we can do is collaborate to help them become more fulfilled individuals, and to contribute to a society that is better than the one we handed them over.”.
“Mental health is very closely linked to what’s happening in society, unlike many physical illnesses. Mental health is very sensitive to what’s going on in society. And these days, a lot is happening for young people,” she said.
During his speech, the academic stated that “a significant percentage of young people will have a major disorder, with a high risk. We have an ethical commitment to do something for young people who need it.”. He also said that "a system can be organized to move this forward," alluding to the initiative put forward by CRUCH.
“We don’t know enough; we need to broaden our understanding of the problems facing young people.”, learning to listen too ”We need to develop better detection strategies and more engaging programs that encourage youth participation,” he explained, outlining the challenge. He added that it is necessary to develop interventions that involve young people, starting with programs that have few components and gradually adding more, and thoroughly planning how the chosen program will be implemented, including necessary resources, outreach, monitoring, and evaluation, among other things.
CRUCH Commission on Mental Health and Coexistence
One of the most relevant aspects of the commission, which was presented on November 2nd at the University of Chile, is that it is a This collaborative body includes representatives from various universities within the CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities). The commission is comprised of a group of experts from 14 universities, linked to the areas of student welfare and academic vice-rectorates.
Regarding the lines of work, the first stage involves making a diagnosis of the different realities of the CRUCH universities in order to subsequently evaluate which are the main issues that need to be addressed.
The Rector Devés said that “collectively caring about the well-being of our community, especially our students, is one of the main challenges today. Academic work must be based on a cohesive, peaceful, motivated, and safe community. Therefore, encouragement of high-quality work must be coupled with support and care so that everyone can reach their full potential and fulfill their duties with excellence and commitment, while also maintaining a proper balance between university commitments and other aspects of development, such as family and social life.
Meanwhile, Rector Elisa Araya pointed out that the creation of the commission means "the possibility of starting a conversation and seeing what each of our institutions is doing in their respective communities."“. This is because, “Although it may seem incredible, there are many actions – I liked Dr. Araya’s idea about 'integrated and community solutions' – that we perhaps need to start promoting in our universities and weaving them together with others, to generate a much more coherent system. That is what we want to start sharing and visualizing,‘ he said.
The executive vice president of CRUCH, Emilio Rodríguez, He noted that “as a Council, we have recognized the importance of this issue, given that many of our students, as well as staff and academics, have shown signs of mental health problems upon returning to in-person learning after the pandemic.” He added that this situation affects coexistence and daily life at universities, therefore The possibility of adequately diagnosing this issue, as well as projecting courses of action that allow its solution, are challenges of the utmost importance for CRUCH.
In a panel discussion that took place during the event, the Director of Student Welfare and Development at the University of Chile, Pamela Díaz-Romero pointed out that "one of the biggest challenges in the interaction with mental health has to do with the role of universities as protective factors, That is, that they are capable of establishing a culture of health promotion and prevention. It is an emerging task, but one that deeply commits us, understanding that student status is temporary. We have a duty to educate active citizens, responsible for their own health.».
Finally, Dr. Araya reflected on the situation faced by other institutions, noting that “the educational system – not just universities – has historically been based on the idea that you learn skills and then you are evaluated, and the use of evaluation brings with it stress (…) People have different capacities to handle this and we don't know how many people are capable of handling it, and perhaps a person may have enormous capacity, but not be able to handle the other.”.
Experience of Professor Ricardo Araya
The psychiatrist and Senior Research Fellow at Imhay has dedicated the last 30 years to finding new types of mental health interventions for diverse vulnerable groups. He began with women in the 1990s, but later broadened his focus—he currently directs the Centre for Global Mental Health at King's College London—and now one of his main research interests is the mental health of children, adolescents, and young adults.
In 2013, a team led by Dr. Araya published in the American medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, The largest randomized clinical trial conducted in Latin America, concerning an intervention in adolescent schoolchildren in Chile. In the following years, he began collaborating with institutions in other countries, and currently, the scientist is conducting a study to develop a care model for young people affected by armed conflict in Colombia. He also participates in another project that seeks to identify resilience factors that help prevent or treat depression and anxiety in young people in Lima, Buenos Aires, and Bogotá; and in Chile—as a Senior Researcher at the Imhay Center—he is promoting the use of technologies and digital applications in various types of interventions, from games to stimulate basic psychological functions in preschoolers to computational tools to prevent and treat mental illnesses in adolescents and university students.
Watch the conference at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TmHHm297St0
Prepared by: University of Chile Press + CRUCH Communications + IMHAY Communications
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