Why Indians don’t take mental health seriously?

October 10 is regarded as the World Mental Health Day. On this day, the world comes together to speak about mental health issues. This year with a pandemic raging all over the world it has become all more essential to address mental health issues. The pandemic has pushed millions into depression, anxiety, and other mental problems, and India being the suicide capital of the world is at the center of it. So, many artists and celebs have come out in the open on October 10, this year to speak about mental health issues.

The situation has intensified with the alleged suicide of promising actor and Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput earlier this year. While his death has opened up a pandora’s box, the one very grueling reality that has come to the forefront is the perceived lack of awareness and reluctance amongst Indians to take mental health seriously.

While much of it is attributed to the Indian legal system which didn’t have any specific legal act for mental health issues before the 1987 Mental Health Act came into force. However, much still remains to be achieved in terms of normalizing mental health discussion as seen in the repeated attempts of revising the act. Studies have indicated how crucial is this for the mental health of Indians, especially Indian women who suffer chronic mental illness due to many social-economic issues, and only an atmosphere that gives them a voice can help in the process.

However, despite all this, the presumption of mental health is itself problematic in Indian society making mental healthcare quite difficult to attain. A deep psychological analysis underlines what ails in this society and why mental health problems mean social pariah for many.

1.Lack of Mental Health Education

While the perception lies buried in our way we have been brought up and made to view this world. Many are gradually coming out of the mold of that and asking why we behave in this way. One quick look at Quora, the question-answer social media platform that helps people get the most relevant answers to their questions, will reveal where the problem starts. It’s right in our infancy and in our growing up years where mental health features nowhere in our life – neither in school nor at home. This lack of mental health education and even acknowledging that such a thing exists is the root cause of the problem. So, a kid growing up to be a teenager to an adult doesn’t understand his/her mind, he/she doesn’t have any mechanism to think, repurpose or train his mind beyond the social template of right and wrong.

A survey done in 2019 showed 200 million Indians suffer from mental health issues. However a majority of us don’t know what a mental health issue is. 56% of people think that mental health illness means talking to yourself while 15% categorized it as being retard and 9% said being depressed.

This shows how a lack of proper mental health curriculum has made it a lifestyle problem like diabetes and cholesterol.

2. Lack of Support System & Mental Healthcare

Much like sexual illness, mental illness has become a social pariah in the country. It’s not just about the stigma associated with mental health problems but the lack of easily available mental healthcare and support system as well.

A 2019 estimate highlights that 7.5% of India is affected by mental illness but the number of mental healthcare experts available at their disposal is a mere 4000.

These few experts can’t cater to the needs of the huge population. For this, you need a good support system along with health experts to consult and talk about your issues in absolute faith and confidentiality.

3. Lack of Understanding of the Sensitive Nature

This brings us to the most crucial aspect of mental health perception in India. Many Indians don’t understand the sensitive nature of this type of illness. While many of us downplay it as a regular affair of feeling low which can be treated by talking to friends or going out and having fun, many others think that it’s just passing off phase that happens to everyone. This perceived notion of mental illness and the complete disregard for it as a serious health issue is a root cause of all problems.

This thinking prevents people from recognizing the problem and seeking medical help. We need to understand that just like other chronic illnesses like diabetes, cholesterol, etc. mental health is a serious health hazard and needs expert solutions. Going to therapy sessions is the key here. Our friends and family can support us but they can’t solve the problem. Similarly, any happy do-gooder incidents might suppress and deviate the problem but can’t eradicate it. More often than not, these type of tactics ultimately elevates the mental health issues to a monstrous level making it difficult to control

4.The Stigma of Medical Help

The most crucial problem with the mental health problem in the country is the stigma associated with mental healthcare. A person suffering from any physical health problems is treated as a normal person and the medical help he is seeking is considered normal. But the moment you know, that a person is suffering from a mental health issue, he is regarded as a retard. More specifically mental health experts are often regarded as a doctor for the retarded. They are not regarded as a trained and licensed healthcare professional. Their career is often viewed below our average cardiologists, gynecologists, etc. Lastly, medication for mental illness is often seen as a vile thing and not just a normal medical treatment for a disease. This lack of normalizing mental health treatment and help often results in people being afraid of it and hence they don’t take it seriously.

5. The Burden of the Mental Health Treatment

Often less discussed in health forums and platforms, it’s the burden of the treatment that keeps people away from taking mental health seriously. Mental health like other physical illnesses hasn’t been normalized in our society. There’s no insurance policy, health benefits, and subsidies for mental healthcare. The whole system is an expensive and tiring long procedure for many. While there are provisions of counseling sessions in workplaces, schools, colleges, and hospitals but they are not adequate to deal with people and often lack the infrastructure to cater to people. Unlike other departments, mental illness doesn’t have any specific department in our public and private hospitals where normal people can go-in ask for help. So, the basic facilities are way behind to make people take this seriously and afford the treatment.

Conclusion

This is how mental health issues plague our country, making India one of the topmost suicide-prone nations in the world. To make people aware of mental illnesses, we need to start at the basic. Mere awareness campaigns and talking about your own mental health issues and saying that we are always available to help won’t solve the problem.

To take mental health seriously we need to normalize it and be educated about it which has only one solution – mental health education policy and free/affordable mental healthcare facility in public hospitals