Depression of Facts and Figures - India's tryst with Mental health.

Depression of Facts and Figures

India's tryst with Mental health.

Devika. J

Mental health is one of the very many taboo subjects in India. Often hushed up and suppressed, mental health issues are often described as "phases" that will pass when ignored enough. Seeking treatment and professional help is something that is only beginning to be talked about openly. 
A WHO report states that mental illness makes about 15% of the total disease condition around the world and that 7.5% of the Indian populace suffers from some mental disorder. Studies show that depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, autism, schizophrenia et al. are widespread and common in India. But professional and scientific treatment is not as widespread and often, not the default route. Mental health issues are treated often with pseudoscience, in the form of various godmen who employ evidently unscientific means to traumatise the patient even further.
A variation of such a case happened to a college student from Kerala, who committed suicide after being forcefully taken to "deaddiction centres" to cure her 
/their bisexuality, when she came out to her /their family. It is alleged that the treatment centre was the major aggravator/contributor to her/their mental condition, with physical abuse measures to cure the bisexuality.
Another misunderstanding is that people in the lower strata never face mental health issues, and that mental health disorders are for the privileged, restricted to metro and tier 1 cities. While this stands true regarding the treatment availability, it makes dangerous assumptions that mental disorders are problems that can be wished away and can be cured with positivity doses, altered priorities and suchlike. In the words of Aparna Mohan, a psychotherapist, " It's a common belief that mental health issues are mainly arising in metro cities owing to the stressful lifestyles. However, non- metro cities are also in immediate need for access to mental healthcare." A class 10 student in Kerala, underprivileged, both economically and socially, committed suicide, because she missed out on the first day of classes via the online medium. The poor girl had no access to smartphones and their TV set was faulty. Her anxiety of missing out on a better life because of missing a day's class haunts me to this day. A support system would've kept her alive, if not proper treatment. Opening up about discomforts, traumas and conditions is important to build essential life saving systems that become the last hope for survival. Interactions with the family is also an undervalued life saver. In this era of nuclear families, it becomes all the more important to prioritise and cultivate proper dialogue and understanding within families and between trusted friends.
There is a general inadeptness at identifying an occasional rough patch and clinical depression and other illnesses. "Being aware of our feelings, processing them and expressing them can allow us to balance the negative feelings with positive ones and instil a sense of optimism . And if we feel that we can't overcome the negativity, then, it might be time to seek professional help", quotes a report from Economic times . A positive change is that there has been  a rise of over 80%  in the number of people seeking help from tier 2 cities like Lucknow, Indore, Kanpur, Nagpur, Coimbatore etc.


India's struggle with mental health is multi pronged - there is a lack of awareness and sensitivity about the issue, a shortage of workforce, and healthcare infrastructure .
Mental health literacy- the recognition, causes, self help, facilitation of professional intervention and navigating the information highway-  is definitely the need of the hour, aiding in alleviating the stigma.
Mental health awareness can both be the means and ends of ending apathy. Rise in awareness leads to early recognition and access to treatment. The media can act as an excellent source of awareness and de- stigmatisation; government programmes and policies can efficiently and effectively use public health system to facilitate healthcare for the majority; the education system, by including mental health in curricula, can start conversations and provide authorised information; social media can be used for focused amplification, among others.
Other proactive steps for redressal include addressing mental health under the ambit of insurance to provide equitable access to treatment and increase in efficiency of redressal machinery, like equipping ASHA workers to be a bridge between mental health professionals and patients.
Timely intervention, awareness, availability of professional help and appropriate policies can ensure that mental illnesses don't culminate in steps like suicide, stemming from helplessness or worse.


References :

  • europepmc.org - Mental Health Awareness: the Indian Scenario.
  • economictimes.com - Mental Health in India : 7.5% affected, less than 4000 experts available.
  • healthworld.com (from Economic Times) - Scenario that needs to change for mental health in India.
  • businesstandard.com - Massive rise in mental health awareness in India.
  • healthworld.com (from Economic Times) - What must India do to solve its mental health crisis?
  • thehindu.com - Class 10 girl ends life allegedly over lack of access to online classes.
  • thenewsminute.com - Anjana's death puts focus on inhuman 'conversion therapy' on queer people.

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