'Mental Illness', A Social Taboo
Nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.
The stigma around mental illness is fuelled with umpteen number of misconceptions and myths transferred from generation to generation. We all agree with the fact that people suffer from problems related to their mental condition. But a matter of concern arises when eight out of ten people in the society generalize the issue and refer them as MAD, PSYCHO or as MENTAL PATIENTS. So primarily, we need to understand what is mental illness?
Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behaviour (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress or problems functioning in social, work or family activities. So here the problem is associated with the brain and the sum total of chemical reactions happening within. The contemporary situation is that a person taking a decision with regard to consulting a psychiatrist (a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness) has to undergo scrutinizing from family, friends and society which is much more traumatizing than the actual mental state of that particular person. The situation is so complex that mere consultation of a psychiatrist proves to be a social taboo accompanied by illogical myths.
And supposedly at the end of the day if the psychiatrist prescribes a medicine (psychiatric drug) then yes, the society certifies that person as a mental patient who needs to be looked upon with caution and sympathy.
This particular outlook needs to be changed, the most common myths and illogical misconceptions are:
• There’s no such thing as mental illness, people fake it.
• I will never have mental health issues because,
- It only affects poor people.
- I’m too strong-minded.
- I have a positive outlook on life.
• Mental health issues cannot be treated or prevented.
• People with mental illnesses are violent and need to be hospitalized or locked up in an asylum.
• Mental health issues occur when the devil or a departed soul enters the body.
• You need to consult a psychiatrist for all your mental health problems. Therapy and counselling don’t really work.
• People with mental health issues can overcome what they’re experiencing by controlling their minds. There’s nothing that can be done to help them.
All these myths and misconceptions have led to the unwanted complication of the most common alarming issue of mental illness a sensitive one or moreover a social taboo which people feel hesitant to discuss in public. Basically, just like physical illness affects parts of our body, mental illness affects the brain. For example, depression is caused due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, which in turn can lead to symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, and lack of motivation — things that impact the person’s quality of life. Mental illness, like physical illness, requires treatment for the symptoms to decrease or stop entirely, and for the individual’s condition to improve.
The distance or the closeness between the transition of a person’s mental state can be compared with that of the wordings written in a vehicles side view mirror, that is objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Yes, the mental condition like that of depression which further leads to the developing of suicidal thoughts and the very act of suicide takes away the life of the person much before decoding the reason and cause.
A person whose suicidal thoughts is induced from depression doesn’t actually want to end life but rather they want to end the pain in their life. Its high time that we understand the fact that Most mental health issues can be treated if they are diagnosed early and appropriate treatment is given. In other cases, treatment is provided to mitigate the impact of a serious mental illness so the person can take better control of their life. Successful recovery from mental illness also depends on whether the person has access to a strong support system — in the form of their family, friends for instance — that is aware and well-informed about mental health issues.
Some mental health issues can be prevented by controlling or altering socio-economic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. For example, substance abuse can be prevented by making sure that the person is living in a healthy environment.
The recent unfortunate suicide of the Bollywood celebrity as well as the rising cases of depression and other mental health hazards especially among the youth is of core importance as nowadays the teenagers find solace in social media and are slaves of external addictions like that of alcohol and drugs which leads to withdrawal symptoms which are nothing less than a mental illness. Also, the Missing of the inner core, morals ethics and values, lack of spirituality. The ill-effects of the nuclear family with regard to not having time for each other as compared to the love and care in a joint family in past days, all these issues need to be meticulously analysed and in turn, the common man should gather knowledge with regard to know-how strategies to tackle problems with regard to mental illness. The efforts must be concrete and should have a basis mere sympathizing and social media posts won’t serve the purpose. Anyone can be at risk of developing mental health issues regardless of their age, economic strata, culture, or the community they belong to. Mental health issues don’t have anything to do with a person’s mental strength, personality traits, or outlook. They can be caused due to a combination of social, genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. We must take mental health seriously and understand ways of preventing, treating and coping with it.
So, last, but not the least let us all be good listeners because the healing effect of attentively listening to a person’s sad plight or mental situation cannot be expressed in words, let us all care for each other, love each other and spread happiness. Most importantly seek happiness in yourself, positive counter thoughts can only curb the ill effects of depression.
