MENTAL HEALTH- And its stigma

Just like physical health, mental health is very important.

Whenever a person suffers from a sore throat, flu or an injury one immediately consults a doctor. What happens is the extreme opposite when it comes to mental health. One ignores it and does not share it to anyone.

People suffer from anxiety attacks, lack of sleep, sadness, lack of willingness to do anything and the constant feeling of worthlessness from a prolonged period of time are said to be suffering from mental health issues. What next?

Parents get to know about these facts and they say “it's okay to feel sad sometimes, no worries, you will get fine soon”. That's it! That's no way to deal with people suffering from mental health issues.

Parents tend to ignore the actual situation that is prevailing hence they end up not taking proper steps to prevent the severe outcome.

WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH

The world health organisation describes “mental health as the state of well being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make contribution to his or her community”. It is the ability of the mind to act resiliently in any situation and be able to control one's emotions overtime. One experiences various emotions such as happy, sad, angry, excited, nervous etc. But when these emotions become prolonged enough and cannot be tackled or controlled then it is referred to as a mental health problem.

TACKLE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

One should start indulging in activities such as exercising, art related activities, meditation and dancing etc. such activities can help in reducing the mental tension and release the endorphins which help in soothing the pain.

One should actively indulge in meditation activities which result in the calmness of mind, body and soul. Go and see a doctor, take the prescribed therapy and give yourself some time. Do not indulge in self criticism and try to value yourself more .

Start sharing things with your friends and family which will release tension and stress. It's okay not to share things too but then do something like writing your thoughts down or indulging in some art related therapies.

IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH

People generally underestimate the importance of mental health by constantly ignoring and extensively indulging in unhealthy activities like smoking and drinking liquor are highly not recommended by doctors and therapists. Mental well being is highly recommended as it leads to longevity, happiness and a well balanced life wherein one can control one's emotions and live life to the fullest. Setting realistic goals, valuing yourself, being kind to yourself and getting all the help you need is the key to achieving good mental health. Results from the various experiments conducted state that people with good mental health showed the following signs:

• Longevity

• Healthy behaviors

• No mental and physical illness

• High level of Social connectivity

• Increased productivity

STIGMA RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH

People in India are extensively stigmatized towards various attributes in society.

We are on the verge of another pandemic which will result in multiple people losing their loved ones but not through COVID19. Mental health has become a very popular topic to discuss upon but where are the actions required to stimulate mental health awareness.

Even today in this 21st century the existence of social stigma around mental health makes it difficult for the people with mental health issues to get treatment and make the situation worse for them.

EFFECTS OF STIGMA

Some of the effects are :

• Feeling of shyness and shame leads to isolating oneself

• Lack of social interaction

• Resisting the need to ask help

• Family, friends carelessness

• Self loathing

• Ignoring the problem

All the above effects lead to only one thing that is the increase in the seriousness of the issue.

DEALING WITH THE STIGMA

Spend most of the time with family and friends. Staying with family and friends will lead to the help and support that one needs in times like these. The feelings of isolation should be kept at bay. Mental health support groups and communities should be joined as a part of support as it is impossible to solve issues like mental health by our own.Get the treatment done at the earliest. It's the same as when one suffers from a heart attack , immediate attention from a doctor is needed . Do not shy away from going to a doctor due to these stigmas.

One should get the therapy done as soon as possible to avoid the feeling of loneliness and sadness. Do not indulge in self loathing and do not believe in others. Do not believe the stigmas related to mental health instead focus on your therapy sessions.

IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY

We should know how people suffering from mental health face a lot of issues such as bullying, being laughed at, and public harassment.Mental health awareness to all the age groups is the need of the hour as this will lead to more understanding from the parents as well as friends to the person suffering from mental health issues.People generally avoid consulting a psychiatrist in case of any mental issue, such social stigmas will be eliminated from the society if people start adopting the importance of mental health.

As friends and family of a person suffering from mental health issues we need to support them and not necessarily by answering their problems but in fact by merely listening to the problem. Many community and support groups should be facilitated by the government in order to stimulate and keep in check the growth of mental health awareness and proper treatment should be ensured to the people.

Strict laws should be made in order to protect these people from the acts of bullying and harassment at any level. Many support lines should be made available 24 into 7 and started in respect to the mental health awareness programme.

Being mentally unwell does not mean that one is weak. It is stated in various studies that one cannot deal with a mental health issue on his or her own, he or she has to consult a doctor and there is no shame in it. Let the society stick social stigmas to it but one should consider his own well being the top most priority and always ask for help. There may be people who make mockery of the situation but there will always be a ray of light waiting for you at the end. So hold on to the seat and do not lose hope.

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Written By-

Jasmine Saini