Mental Health

Our brain, it is this amusing, beautiful , complex organ. You are looking at your mobile or laptop screens and are able to read this text. Not just that you are able to comprehend what you are reading. None of this would be possible if not for our brains sending and receiving signals. The brain functions as a coordinating centre…of sensation , intellectual and nervous activity.

Do you ever wonder if the brain gets tired ? Or think “Is my brain healthy?”

That is where mental health comes into the picture. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well being. It affects the way we think , feel and act. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices.

When I see a bird gliding in the clear blue skies, I wish that I could fly too. Someone else may take a picture of that bird and instagram it. If it were Newton observing the bird, he probably would ‘ve thought “Why is the bird not falling down due to gravity?”

We are seeing the same things, but interpreting it differently. Perceiving it in many ways. Why is that? This is cause we are all born different. Every individual is unique in terms of their genetic constitution. Interestingly this is also why people react or cope with stress or stressors ( reasons that cause stress) varyingly.

I was recently watching a video about music, how it touches our soul and maybe induces melancholy or a bit of sadness. Jason Silva reckons why would we do that to ourselves? Why would we listen to music that makes us cry? Answer being that music makes room for our pain. He calls being alive a psychological PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder). He goes on to explain that along the way of life, we ‘ve all picked up pain. Some are just better at repressing it. Some of us become artists, painters, poets, build companies and so on.

So what happens to those who are not able to deal with this pain, or the stress ?

When we are under prolonged stress, our brains search desperately for ways to relieve the pressure. Often, if a person cannot find effective ways of coping or does not have a good support system, they can end up sinking deeper into negative thoughts and behaviours that affect daily functioning. Leading to…mental illnesses.  To classify,

Common mental illnesses include:

·         Depression

·         Anxiety/ Phobias

·         Eating Disorder

·         Stress

Severe mental illnesses include:

·         Schizophrenia

·         Bipolar disorder (Manic depression)

·         Clinical depression

·         Suicidal tendency

·         Personality disorder

Let’s keep all that information  aside.

The moment mental illness of any kind is mentioned it is equated to madness. People squirm in their seats, get uncomfortable and avoid the topic. This is the kind of stigma ingrained in us as a society.

Suppose a person say Ram. Ram is seeing a psychiatrist. Just a another doctor. Right? Wrong. Sly comments like “ He must be going mad” or “I always knew there was something wrong with him” are ringing in his ears.

Now the problem with mental health is that there are no physical signs. People suffering cannot show you their pain. Does that make it any less real ? Ofcourse not.

To borrow from C.W.Lewis “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain , but it is more common and also more hard to bear.”

Today’s world is not an easy place to live in. Let’s take a few quick examples to generalize.
Ideally Salman Khan should be in jail but hey ! Sultan made it to the 100 crore club. Be that as it may, we become an intolerant country when a comedian imitates a religious leader or over beef ban. Kashmir is in a state of insurgency. Terror is rising everyday. And Donald Trump maybe the next US president.
Yet here we are told engineering and medicine are the only ‘real’ degrees.

Vexing ? Distressing ? Little too much to take in? Is it not?

What am trying to get at is that mental health is a growing concern that needs to be paid attention to.

WHO statistics say the average suicide rate in India is 10.9 for every lakh people. It is the second leading cause of death among those in the age group of 18-29, and most suicides in India are by those below 44 years.

And atleast 5% of the population lives with some form of mental illness. Depression being the most prevelant.

But here is the bummer. There is just one psychiatrist for every four lakh Indians. 

Let that sink in. Why so ? Indeed , Why?

The crucial impediment is the lack of open conversation around mental health.

So let us talk out loud. Let’s not shy away from the grim reality of the status or statistics of mental health in our country. Let’s not judge but understand people ailing from mental illnesses.

Above all, let’s be aware and make others aware of this.

Also, if you know someone who you think is even mildly stressed or just needs someone to talk to. Be there of them. It doesn’t take much.

Because  the only shameful thing about mental illness is the stigma attached to it.

To not limiting the word healthy to physical or physiological but extending it to mental health also.