India is currently home to a population of over one billion citizens. A study conducted by the World Health Organization in 2015 shows that one in five Indians may suffer from depression in their lifetime, equivalent to 200 million people. Due to the stigma associated with mental illness, a lack of awareness, and limited access to professional help, only 10-12% of these sufferers will seek help.
The irony of mental health is, that instead of understanding the necessity to address the issue we are still struggling to unveil the stigma attached to it. The first and the foremost battle we need to conquer is to admit the prevailing admission of the stigma and move past it.
Mapping the reaction of people towards mental health issue reeks majorly of indifference and insensitivity. The stigma surrounded with the matter is the biggest hurdle in reaching a higher rank in the happiness index where we are far below average. When we question the society we live in, we come across two terms: stigma and awareness.
Stigma can be defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person which is contrary to awareness. Reports suggest that about 87% of the population showed some awareness regarding mental illness, 71% also used terms associated with stigma. These blatant figures have a dispersion from a positive and negative outlook where awareness can be viewed as the progressive approach towards the idea that humans can be mentally healthy with access to effective treatment to lead a comfortable life, while on the contrary, the 71% looks down on such individuals limiting the area for them to proceed for treatment and a healthy life.
Stigma can be defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person which is contrary to awareness. The reports suggest that about 87% of the population showed some awareness regarding mental illness, 71% also used terms associated with stigma. These blatant figures have a dispersion from a positive and negative outlook where awareness can be viewed as the progressive approach towards the idea that humans can be mentally healthy with access to effective treatment to lead a comfortable life, while on the contrary, the 71% looks down on such individuals limiting the area for them to proceed for treatment and a healthy life.
Mental issues are not equivalent to failure, it is either due to a chemical imbalance in the body or the improper channelization of thoughts both of which can be worked upon through medication and/or therapy. The reason why they are mostly overlooked is that, unlike fatal diseases, they have no outward symptoms which can be traced on a pattern and sidelined as an incongruent nature.
The idea is to sensitize the public about the demand of the time; to build a safe and judgement free environment which sustains its citizen with any or no ailment. Having an open conversation about mental illness, its symptoms and treatment beyond the taboo is the goal.
We should acknowledge the range of emotions human beings can feel, inclusive of hatred, love, sadness, anger, empathy, sympathy and others; each of which has a different impact on our daily conduct. It is high time that we learn the art of feeling emotions as they are and help a fellow human being in their journey of the same.
The aim is to build a better society which engulfs the struggles of each individual as their own and doesn’t classify or discriminate amongst them. In the times of technology, we need to step back and realize the power of a dialogue which has vanished in this era of isolation. Indifference surely sounds cool but having a heart that empathizes with living beings is the need of the hour.