Don’t you think that mental health has disrupted and uprooted many lives?
Yes, it has, and we are no new to the skyrocketing suicide cases hitting the headlines now and then. For this, we need to come out of the societal shackles that withhold us from expressing our true self to others.
‘World Mental Health Day’ is not just about one-day awareness; rather, it’s about lifetime guidance. This day is celebrated every year on 10th October to generate awareness about mental health issues and mobilising efforts about mental well being. The theme for this year is, “Mental health for all: Greater investments-Greater access.”
Suicide cases have always been brushed under the rug because of the taboo associated with it. But we need to look deeper into what makes a person take such a step. Mental illness encapsulates various factors, such as excessive fear, anxiety, social withdrawal, etc. When these signs manifest in someone’s behaviour, then we infer that the person’s mental health needs attention.
This year, the US, Netherlands reported the highest number of deaths by suicide, whereas Japan was reported to have the lowest rate of depression. India, too, reported an average of 381 suicides per day in 2019. The issue of suicide doesn’t garner much media attention in our country despite the cases involving a lot of young people. Only recently, a young student died by suicide this year when she could not attend online classes.
This pandemic has taken a toll on many people’s mental health, unemployment, financial difficulties, helplessness, and distress has pushed many people into depression. In our country, stigma also keeps a lot of people away from seeking the help they need. So, the right step in the direction of mental well being is to speak up without hesitation.
Sometimes, glossing over the issues is not the real solution. The pandemic has brought us a lot of depressing news with people losing their jobs, their loved ones and whatnot. It’s important that we take care of our mental health in these troubling times. Let’s take a pledge: on this Mental health day, “We will sensitise people around us about mental health and leave no stone unturned to prove that we are strong and undeterred.”