Introduction?
It does not help to talk to someone. It might feel good at that moment, but eventually, the reality strikes back and you realise that you’re in the same position as you were before. Nothing changes, neither your position nor the way you feel about it. All it could do is make you feel insecure for sharing your fears and worries.
These were the words of a close friend of mine.
Whenever I look at a ceiling fan, I see myself hanging from it.
- another friend once said this.
People are ignorant of the fact that mental issues exist and they unknowingly become the cause of a disaster which should not have happened
- a Y15’s statement.
While there has been much prioritisation on making people aware of mental health issues, and there will be many more endeavours for the same in the coming years, seldom do we talk about what we think mental health is and how the campus junta perceives it.
From here on out I’ll be using hypothetical characters to present situations which people face. Let’s see how Ram is doing in his life. Ram is a Y18 who procrastinates a lot. He has lost all interest in academics after a year of studying here. Then a jovial person with friends all around the campus is now cynical with no hope of bringing back his previous life. He takes relief in blaming everything on his condition and does not take responsibility for doing things at hand. He just stays in his room thinking to himself, “I am in depression, so I cannot do my stuff” and passes his time on social media or by playing games on his phone, instead of tackling the problem at hand or studying for his future or, at least, to pass the examinations.
Is it right to blame yourself for your condition that you might not even understand?
Can he do something about it on his own? Should he reach out for help if he can’t? Should it be a professional who takes care of his condition, which he barely understands? Or should it be a friend who helps him out? Should he be provided help forcefully if he is not reaching out for it?
These are some tough questions that are bothering me and that I do not know the answers to. Though these are very specific and the answers for these may change when Ram’s perception and conditions are described in more detail, one cannot stop thinking what and how should things be done moving forward.
That was Ram. Let’s see what Seema has to offer to our discussion. She is a Y19 who has always found it hard to gel into a group. Till now, whenever she has been a part of a group of friends, she has always ended up in self-realisation that she can never have friends. She feels lonely, and no one tries to help her out, for no one knows that she exists anymore.
She is not having a good time with her parents, and her last relationship ended up in a disaster, the memories of which still haunt her. Now she thinks to herself that she’d attain peace only when she ends her life but does not have, what they call, ‘the courage’ to do so. When asked what mental health is, she said, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and mental health is a crucial part of it.”, she uttered these words while smiling all along and with an expression that was trying to convey that she was alright and didn’t need my help.
Many times we see people trying to hide their innate fears, feelings, troubles, and they end up hiding themselves in this crowded world where they hope that their fears will be lost eventually. Probably, in there where no one can find, where no one can tap into, where they can be kept safely buried deep into their own fabric of existence. Oh, the irony here is that at the same time they want someone to pull them out of this rabbit hole they dug and hid into. They want to get out of this, burst into happiness like a volcano bursting for the first time in a thousand years! Full of exuberance, they want to lead their lives. But the Chosen One they have been waiting for till now has not shown. What do you think should be done here? How can we find them? And even if they were found, how can we help them out?
Now, we are at Rajat’s room, a Y17 who will be interning at one of the largest MNCs in summer’20. You get a feeling from him that his life is all sorted out, his grades are good, works hard and does everything with perfection. What would he be thinking about mental health?
There is no such thing as mental illness. If you have the will power and perseverance to do it- you will do it! It all boils down to you, it has always been and it will always be. For you are the architect of your destiny &life ahead, and no one has a role to play in it unless you allow them to.
says Rajat when asked about his perception of mental health. We can clearly see that he has a total disregard of the people facing mental issues, or as he says do they really face any issue? Are people faking it just so that they can feel good about their incapabilities? These are the questions that pop up when I look at mental health from Rajat’s perspective.
If you take a closer look, these are the people we meet on the campus; these may be our friends, wingmates, lab partners, anyone. We cannot say what should be done, but can we say, we, being part of this student community, can play a role in the betterment of their lives?
Well, all I can say is that I hope people like Ram get help from friends of their past.
I hope people like Seema get a place to belong to.
I hope people like Rajat inculcate those empathetic feelings.
I hope WE can make a difference here.
~ Anonymous
[Disclaimer: Names have been changed to maintain privacy ]
If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to share it with people you love and reach out to those you feel might need some support.
