By Dr Sankalpa Satapathy
When a friend quipped “your choice” on the revelation that another friend was taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicines, it revealed the profound ignominy associated with mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Now, mental well being includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is more than just the absence of a mental illness.
According to the WHO, over 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders among which anxiety and depression are highly prevalent among people of all ages and income levels in all countries and communities. The urgency of the situation can be estimated by the fact that WHO has identified mental health as a priority area in its 2025-2034 research agenda among other major health conditions as stroke, cancer, etc.
The above incident reminded me of a discussion with a senior friend who dismissed the idea of popping pills to “stop feeling sad” or “get sleep”. Even today, mental health is shrouded in mystery, shame, and usually linked with personal failures, character flaws and bad choices. This leads to people not being able to open up about their mental health issues. They are left to struggle and suffer in isolation without support. It is to be taken into consideration that people do not have a problem divulging details when they suffer from a cold, measles, stomach ache, skin rashes or when they visit the doctor to seek treatment for physical ailments. And others are empathetic about those conditions and will try to help.
However, when they complain about “feeling miserable” or “not feeling like getting up in the morning” or “crying for no apparent reason” or “feeling broken”, they are usually advised to “pull yourself together” and “be strong”. When they do seek help from mental health care services, they usually keep it a secret in fear of being labelled as misfits in a civil society. It is speculated that stigma surrounding mental health is higher in rural areas due to misconceptions and lack of awareness. But it is also true that educated urban people refuse to accept that they may have mental health concerns and refuse to seek treatment because they don’t want to be viewed as “weak”.
This dichotomy of strong and weak which reduces individuals into one-dimensional entities strips them away from the nuanced and multi-dimensional personalities that every person embodies. In a world that celebrates toughness and strength being vulnerable and sensitive is seen as a weakness. Today’s hustle culture that prioritizes productivity over personal well being adds to the pressure of being seen as strong by others. A class on suicide unfurled a series of discussions when the vast majority of the students (mostly from medical/allied health backgrounds) stated that people who commit suicide are mentally weak. Thus, even among people from medical background, mental health and illness is discredited. Negative stereotypes about mental health prevent people from seeking treatment putting them and their families at a disadvantage.
Disparaging mental health concerns cannot wish away the fact that they represent the second biggest reason for long term disability contributing to loss of healthy life, driving up health care costs for affected people and families causing incalculable economic loss on a global scale. A combination of modern lifestyle pressures, technological shifts, digital dependency and social media, social isolation and loneliness and climate change effects are leading to a rise of mental health issues globally. A holistic approach towards health cannot ignore mental well being as it is an important aspect of a healthy individual. Seeking treatment to alleviate symptoms of mental stress/illness is a good choice. Taking medicines and undergoing regular counselling is a good choice. Seeking help to get better is a good choice. Not ridiculing a person about their mental health concerns is a good choice. Speaking openly about mental health to get rid of misunderstanding is a good choice. Let’s pledge to make a good choice on this Mental Health Day.
The writer is an Assistant Professor, Institute of Public Health, Kalyani, West Bengal