Disclaimer: The following article may contain words and themes that are emotionally sensitive and can be triggering. Please read with caution. This material is for awareness purposes only.
A study by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore has found that 77% of people with mental health difficulties do not seek treatment. It also found that only six participants of the 268 who were interviewed had gone for treatment after being counseled to do so. This discovery sheds light on the fact that despite available resources, encouraging people with psychiatric challenges to seek help remains a problem.
The NIMHANS study also found that 92.5 % of participants with substance use disorders had never gone for treatment according to Tribune India. Researchers had identified 2,459 people with a mental illness from 35,023 adults across six primary health centers. The condition was found in 357 participants of whom 348 attended the follow-up.
Read More: Addiction Psychology and Relapse Prevention: Trauma-Informed Approaches to Substance Use Disorders
What The Research Found
The study has found that there are still existent hurdles including superstition, ignorance and illiteracy that prevent people from seeking help for severe psychiatric illness. Researchers also noticed that people with alcohol addiction did not recognize their dependency as something that needs to be treated unless they experience a major health setback. Superstition also led many families to believe and engage in religious or occult treatments instead of psychiatric evaluation and therapy.
Choosing Dependency Over Treatment
The study found that several negative factors prevented participants from seeking help for their condition. This included aggression, hostility, lack of awareness about the illness, intoxication and a lack of motivation to stop substance usage. There is also a fear in many with mental health challenges and substance addiction to acknowledge the problem because they know it will mean admitting that they have a problem.
Self-Consultation over Professional Help
A report by a healthcare service provider named Amaha earlier this year also highlighted that several relied on self-diagnosis and coping mechanisms instead of admitting to the issue. It also explored how several people chose to self-harm than actively seek help from a mental health professional. Several studies have also over time reported how many people consult google and social media to assess and heal themselves rather than rely on expert advice.
India’s Contribution To Mental Healthcare
The country has changed its stance on mental healthcare in the last decade by providing a national helpline, several free services at the primary level as well as awareness at the grassroots level to counter mental health illiteracy. Several states offer services like free ambulance for underprivileged, strengthening existing healthcare centers with mental health experts, etc. The Tele-Manas helpline is the national mental helpline which offers 24×7 guidance and expert care. There are efforts by individual states to strengthen and boost mental healthcare through awareness sessions and expert-patient connectivity.
Negative Impacts of Substance Use
Substances like Marijuana and psychotropic drugs have overtaken alcohol use among the younger generation, according to reports. These substances create an illusion of normalcy while hiking up conditions like paranoia, anxiety, depression and isolation. However, modern cinema and social media is normalizing the use of such habits which is creating more dependency. Many young people do not consider marijuana a drug and several people use it for recreational purposes. However, the impact of such use can linger and have long-term effects, including rejection of expert help when condition worsens.
Conclusion
The NIMHANS study steers the current attention which is on creating more professionals for mental health towards creating a space that encourages patients to seek help. It calls for dialogue and solutions towards the negative perspective on seeking professional help for mental health challenges. This may require a collaboration between experts, leaders and the general community. This will include partner organizations and staff like ASHA workers who dedicate their time and effort to awareness and for communal safety.
