Mental Health – an issue frequently recognized as ‘unreal’, ‘inconsequential’ or ‘trivial’ by a majority of the Indian population. A topic that is not very often (if never) touched upon by India and is very likely to get lost in our society might be one of the major reasons holding us one step away from real development. The COVID-19 pandemic has knocked on innumerable closed doors, including the mental health situation in India, with the skyrocketing rates of depression making the news routinely. Although the national mental health infrastructure is close to abysmal yet it is not the cause of the growing mental health issues. Thus, the one thing we need to ask ourselves is what are we doing wrong as a country to further catapult the deplorable scenario of mental health?
According to the WHO, ‘mental health refers to a broad array of activities directly or indirectly related to the mental well-being, prevention of mental disorder and treatment and rehabilitation of people affected by mental health disorders.’ Although a common misconception, a mentally unhealthy person might or might not suffer from a mental illness. Today, an estimated 20% of the Indian population is affected by mental health problems, and yet its validity remains a question in many households. We fail to acknowledge its existence but we must be ready to face the consequences. Though some fail to recognize the reality, mental health is very real and reality comes with consequences. The rate of suicide due to mental health issues have reached a staggering high, India loses its efficiency and productivity which could otherwise have been contributed to the growth of the economy and the societal growth has been dangerously sluggish.
The issue has not crossed the borders of a handful of metropolitan areas, and thus, the majority India still remains in the dark. As a developing country ,and the extortionate unemployment rates, the level of competition keeps getting immensely high. Lack of proper mental, physical and career counseling in schools and colleges has led to despicable rates of depression and anxiety among the youth. Competition has become a stationary in our society – with a hundred thousand students joining in every day- but depression and anxiety still remain closeted. According to a report by India Today, one in every four teenagers in India suffers from depression, one student commits suicide every hour with more than 40,000 students having committed suicide in the last five years. And yet, we keep pretending that it does not keep happening. Our society has taken every single one of those students’ lives and shoved it in a deep abyss holding no one accountable but themselves. A mother loses her child, a kid loses their sibling and a family loses a little one every hour of every day. No one goes knocking on death’s doors unless they feel that an unknown void is better than an unaccepting society. This is what we’ve become – lamentable creatures with nothing but a diaphanous facade – being so caught up in customary pandemonium that we do not even glance at our prodigies. We cannot change the ongoing chaos but we certainly can alter our time enough to spare a glimpse over our shoulder and upon the mental health reality. We cannot change the competition or peer pressure but we certainly can change our indifference and resistance towards mental health. The time is up, the truth lies in every corner of humanity and even though every step one takes is met with indifference , acknowledging its existence is the most powerful weapon that we have as a society.
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”
-Malcolm X
A catalyst is what our society needs to direct it into a heedful place. Education about mental health and issues related to it might just be what India needs right now. Lack of proper education is also one of the main factors leading to the prevalent ignorance. The elimination of the stigma that mental health is majorly related to ‘lunacy’ or ‘ craziness’ is one of the main reasons why people avoid the conversation. Our ego mainly stops us from even addressing incompetency in a trivial part of our life when ironically, it further starts to affect everything. No one likes to address their depressed friend or sibling or even child, but, tell me, do they like it better when the child silently suffers until there is nowhere for him/her to go? Is it not better for them to talk to someone and come back to what we call ‘life’ over time? Will it not be better to label someone as ‘fragile’ instead of ‘witch’ or ‘crazy’? Will it not be better to give someone a second chance in life rather than robbing them of their first? Acceptance comes with proof, you say, and yet you shut your doors albeit the fact that mental health issues have touched each and every one of you in some way, at some point in life. You need proof but we need action so we say-“ Look around you- your children, their friends, your neighbors, nieces, nephews – and tell me if all the smiles that you see are real.”