These days, we're seeing a rise in mental health programmes aimed at tackling various issues and disorders. It's positive to see more awareness being raised about this issue. However, when we speak to people attending these sessions, a common concern is that many feel these programmes lack long-term effectiveness and fail to address underlying root issues.

So, why do some mental health programmes fall short of their goals? Despite good intentions, many initiatives to support mental well-being seem to miss the mark. It's puzzling—we invest time, money, and effort, yet the outcomes often remain uncertain. What's causing these well-meaning efforts to stumble? What's holding these programs back from reaching their full potential?

One of the main reasons is that human psychology and humans themselves are complex. Each individual is a mixture of different thoughts and emotions that has been shaped by the different moments they have experienced through their lives. So it is quite difficult to predict how someone may react to the different events that happen in their lives. This is especially true when we try to understand the concept of motivation.

Many programmes often rely on external incentives to encourage participation and engagement, offering rewards or recognition for attendance or completion. However, these aren’t really effective. For real change, there needs to be a source of intrinsic or internal motivation and we rarely find it through these programmes. While external rewards may initially spark interest, they are not enough to sustain meaningful progress and change in behaviour over time.

Picture a school offering prizes and incentives to boost attendance. Initially, it seems like a great idea—students might be motivated to attend every day for the rewards. However, once the initial excitement fades, attendance might actually drop even lower than before the incentives were introduced. This might surprise some, but it's a common phenomenon known as incentive fading or motivational crowding out.

Incentive fading happens when extrinsic rewards, like prizes or incentives, initially increase motivation, but over time, they reduce intrinsic motivation. This leads to a decline in the desired behaviour once the rewards are removed or lose their appeal.

Without genuine interest, students may become less intrinsically motivated to learn and attend school because they associate attendance with external incentives. As these external rewards lose their allure, so does school attendance. A similar pattern can be observed in mental health programmes, where the initial promise of extrinsic motivation diminishes, leading to a decrease in participants' desire to learn and engage, ultimately reducing the effectiveness of the programmes.

Another common mistake these programmes make is using a one-size-fits-all approach. Human beings are far more complex, and formulating plans or interventions that genuinely work for everyone is near impossible. Even individuals from similar backgrounds or even the same home can have vastly different reactions to the same scenario. Mental health programs often overlook this simple fact and only provide the same standardised interventions, which prove ineffective for many.

For example, in a group session aimed at addressing social anxiety, some participants might find comfort in sharing experiences with others, while others may feel overwhelmed being in the presence of strangers. Without personalised support tailored to their specific needs and preferences, these individuals might find it challenging to fully engage in these programmes.

So, what we need to do is to acknowledge that humans are complex and they require different forms of motivation. There are limitations to external incentives in creating a lasting behavioral change. So, instead of relying on rewards or punishments, mental health programmes should try to cultivate intrinsic motivation to create a genuine desire to participate and grow.

Moreover, it’s important to acknowledge that these programmes may never fully meet the needs of every individual. Therefore, there’s a necessity to deliver more tailored programmes each time. Through repetition and deeper understanding, these programmes can strive towards effecting positive change even among diverse participant groups.

But perhaps the most important thing is to realise that addressing mental health requires more than just programmes and interventions—it requires a shift in our perspective. Our society still stigmatises mental illness, perpetuating stereotypes and creating barriers.

So, until we, as a society and individuals, challenge these beliefs and work towards creating a more empathetic and understanding environment, true progress will be slow. However, with more mental health programmes customised to address these issues, there will be progress. The progress might be slow but the change will be real.