IT IS HIGH TIME THAT WE SHOULD START TAKING MENTAL HEALTH SERIOUSLY
Updated: Jan 19
Muskaan Sharma, III year of B.A.,LL.B, from Asian Law College.
Mental illnesses have an effect on 19% of the adult population, 46% of teenagers and 13% of youngsters every year. People combating their mental health could also be in your family, live next door, work in a future cubicle or sit in the same church pew.
What is mental health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we predict, feel, and act. It collectively helps to figure out how we tend to handle stress, relate to others, and build choices. Mental health is very necessary at each stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Throughout your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behaviour can be affected. It additionally affects your ability to address stress, overcome challenges, build relationships, and live through life’s setbacks and hardships.
Strong mental state isn’t simply the absence of mental state issues. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is a way over being free of depression, anxiety or other psychological issues. Instead of the absence of mental illness, mental health refers to the presence of positive characteristics.
The Two Most Common Mental Health Conditions Are:
Anxiety Disorders — over 18 % of adults every year struggle with some kind of anxiety disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder (panic attacks), generalized anxiety disorder and specific phobias.
Mood Disorders — Mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar depression, have an effect on nearly 100 % of adults every year and are characterized by difficulties in regulating one’s mood.
What Causes Mental Health Disorder?
There is no single cause for mental health disorders; instead, they’ll be caused by a mix of
People who have a family history of mental health disorders may be more prone to developing one at some point. Changes in brain chemistry from substance abuse or changes in diet may cause mental disorders. Psychological factors and environmental factors like upbringing and social exposure can form the foundations for harmful thought patterns associated with mental disorders.
Early Warning Signs Of Mental Health Disorder
Eating or sleeping an excessive amount or deficient
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy, feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs quite usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause issues in relationships
Have persistent thoughts and memories you cannot get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or college.
Suicide or self-harm
Is one of the main risk factors for suicide and self-harm. If a person is self-harming or talking concerning suicide, it’s vital that they speak with shut and trustworthy people in their lives, like family or friends. Help them to be safe and take away dangerous things, like medication, guns or alternative dangerous things, and encourage them to see a healthcare professional.
Mental Health and Wellness
Positive mental health allows people too:
Realize their full potential
Cope with the stresses of life
Make meaningful contributions to their communities
Ways to maintain positive mental health include:
Getting professional help if you need it
Connecting with others
Getting physically active
Getting enough sleep
Developing coping skills
Why ‘Mental Health is ‘Not a thing’ in India?
There can be several reasons, like lack of education, awareness, ignorance, pressure, social, and cultural beliefs. There are several observations that show family, friends, and parents don’t wish to pay attention. For example, if a child goes to his/her parents talking a couple of psychological state issues; it'll either be swept back below the carpet, or they're going to simply create a lot of panics.
Why don’t Indians take mental health seriously?
1.Judgement and Fear- After all, in an extremely society that doesn’t take into account psychological state a difficulty, returning forward, and speaking regarding it, it’ll take plenty of courageousness, as you’ll be judged, and also the worry of being abandoned is usually there. Your family and friends can ignore this issue and are generally not able to listen.
2.Lack of Empathy – Individuals don’t have interaction in issues associated with psychological state; so that they lack sympathy. Many another time after you don’t seem to be tuned in to one thing, you simply cloud your mind with all the doable assumptions, most of that are negative. To understand, you wish to grasp, and to grasp, we’d like to speak and build individuals aware.
3. Stigma- Statistics show that by 2020, India might house the best population of individuals littered with depression and anxiety within the world. It's time that individuals came out additional overtly and talked regarding mental state. The government needs to offer higher mental aid facilities and take away the stigma related to it.
4. Sensitivity and Education- we want to teach people and sensitize them towards the signs and symptoms of mental illness, whereas, normalising the concept of seeking support. We should always learn to form a comprehensive environment for people with mental state problems.
Some things that we have to stop doing from our end as a responsible part of society are:
Discouraging people seeking treatment.
Telling people to be sturdy and snap out of their condition.
Labelling and judging them after we aren't, even aware of their conditions.
It’s not a symbol of weakness.
Don’t search for the reason behind the condition simply answerable to yourself or others. Take medical aid and learn the talents to remain mentally fit; there’s no shame therein.
Reach resolute people who can perceive and provide facilitate
Self-help tips for rising mental health includes:
Eating healthy food
Practicing relaxation techniques
Doing something pleasurable.
Families, friends, and parents ought to stop ignoring these problems, and create themselves additional concerned within the matter to stop the things like suicides, crimes and overall mental well-being of individuals for his or her higher growth and future. So, let’s open up and do our bit.