I am a 20-year-old girl. I have been dealing with depression in silence and humiliation on my own for years now. Even after telling my mother about my nightmares, and the feelings of trauma and suffocation I experience occasionally, I was told – “Subha jaldi utha karo na, healthy khana khao, exercise karo. Kaam hota nahi hai tum logo se toh kuch kuch naya bana laate ho (You should wake up early in the morning, eat healthy food and exercise. You just don’t like to work so you keep coming up with new excuses)!”
So it turns out, I can’t speak to my parents, and friends were not of much help; leaving me to deal with it on my own. Yes, I could have taken an appointment and gone to a psychologist to be treated but I dare not do it alone because – “Log kya kahenge?” If people’s vulnerabilities become public knowledge, it will lead to judgement, gossip, and endless drama.
I googled everything that I could, took every test, cried myself to sleep, and tried to forget all the constant criticism, but here I am today, after years of self treatment, ready to call a psychologist to help me get a hold of my life.
India has the largest number of people in the world who suffer from some form of depression, but the pressure of society makes us act “normal”. It compels us against getting help, because in India, people believe in “If you don’t see it, ignore it!”
Mental health is a simple understanding of an individual’s state of mind. It’s necessary to understand that mental health is not just the absence of illness, but the overall wellbeing of an individual involving conditions like change in thinking, behavior, and emotions. Mental illness, on the other hand, involves distress and/or problems associated with professional, social, or family matters. The experiences are different from person to person. For which it is very important to understand and rethink the myths society has created about mental illness.
Myths About Mental Illness:
1. Mental illness will never affect me – it can affect anyone at any point in their life.
2. Mental illness is not real illness – we need to give as much importance to mental health, as we give to physical health because it doesn’t heal by itself.
3. Everyone gets depressed as they grow up – depression is not a part of ageing and a growing adult needs as much support as anyone else.
4. Mental illness is an adult problem, children can’t have it – mental illness in a kid can occur as early as 6-8 months. Children with mental illness don’t get any help, hence it grows.
5. People with mental health illness cannot perform or follow a regular lifestyle – mental illness does not create an inability to work, but it creates difficulties in finding and maintaining jobs, relations, and friendships.
Being mentally healthy is not about being perfect. Nor is it about being extraordinarily intelligent or successful, or rich. Mental health is irrespective of these factors. We all can suffer from mental health problems and we all can improve.
People should start noticing signs in themselves and people around them and seek help.