Today’s society is a modern society which came a long way ahead giving up all those various stereotypes and taboos against numerous things and communities which used to reside in our society in earlier times, however there is one thing we haven’t still gotten rid of is stigmatizing therapies and mental health related issues or problems. Due to this stigmatization denial of a mental illness has become a typical response of the sufferers. Unfortunately, this is a harsh reality of our society. It can be said in a satirical tone, that this is definitely that 0.1% germ (stereotype) that even Dettol is unable to kill. Life is a journey consisting of n number of ups and downs but at some instances these downs bring immense stress on our mind, which ultimately affect our overall well-being and we end messing things up and doubting ourselves. In such tough times a person needs help, he needs support, and he needs therapy. Thus, it is important that one must not hesitate and ask for help whenever required. Therapy is nothing but an interactive session with a mental health professional with whom you communicate your feelings or problems and try to find the best possible solution to your problem/illness. In detail, a therapy is a scientifically proven process by which you learn more about your feelings, fears and how your mind works. Therapy is conducted by a therapist or licensed mental health professional who helps you to understand more about yourself and your problem by doing diagnosis and analysis of your symptoms and behavior. Therapy improves our overall well-being by enhancing our emotional and cognitive skills, reducing symptoms of mental illness and facilitating in coping with numerous challenges. Moreover, therapists help us to navigate our feelings, built better and positive behavior and accept ourselves as we are i.e. encouraging us to possess self-love and self-care so as to live a happy and prosperous life.
In your daily life, you must have witnessed some people who intentionally try to make fun of an individual suffering from mental illness or obtaining therapy, he/she is unceasingly mocked and insulted by various names like ‘weak, loser, unstable’ etc. Such humiliation can literally demotivate the individual to not seek help and it can further damage his morale and hope for a better tomorrow. Such stereotypes are making the sufferer suffer even more; the one who is already dealing with the mental illness also has to bear the insults and cheap comments of others. It is really important for us to understand that why we as a people are so afraid to talk about Mental illness openly, let’s try to find the reasons for the above question:-
- Lack of proper awareness
- Misguided youth
- Fear of being mocked and misjudged
- Fear of criticism or social boycott
- Low self-worth, which leads to self-doubt due to which person accuses himself for his misery and sees himself as a loser.
- Ignorance or little concern towards mental health issues.
- Physical health is given much more importance than mental health.
- Hesitation for seeking help due to low self-esteem.
- Social and cultural stigma or stereotypes
People in Indian society tend to think and believe that a minor mental health problem is a sign of insanity growing in a person, such thinking severely impacts the sufferer and generally the individual socially isolates in order to avoid humiliation. They simply don’t want to get treatment because they think that society won’t accept their state as a normal thing just like any physical problem like fever or stomach ache. People extensively show their views and interest on mental health topics at different social media platforms and love to watch psychological thrillers or movies related to Psychological disorders. But when it comes to real life, the same people are just not ready to accept and provide help to a person with a mental health problem.
There is an urgent need to condemn all such stereotypes and taboos residing in our society against mental health in order to take our society towards betterment. In India, it is largely seen that people prefer to give more importance to public opinions and irrational stereotypes irrespective of their own views and beliefs, people hesitate to discuss mental illness or any mental health problem due to prevailing stigma and social fear, it won’t be wrong to say that such people are negative who stigmatize mental illness and consider talking about it as an inappropriate thing. Therefore, here are some tips for you to get over such stereotypes and live an optimistic life:-
- Primarily it is important for us to understand that it’s okay to not be okay.
- Secondly, believe in yourself and be confident irrespective of an illness you are suffering from. Your illness doesn’t determine your character and your personality.
- Spread proper awareness about importance of mental health
- Having a Mental illness is common but it doesn’t mean it is okay. So, seek for therapy or help whenever necessary.
- You must Have a positive attitude about yourself, don’t be self-pity.
- Mental health should be your priority, mental health is as important as physical health.
- Don’t panic it will further worsen your situation, talk to your friends and family about your problem. Please don’t be afraid of getting misjudged because the ones who love us never judge us, try to communicate your thoughts and your problems with them.
Mental health is as important as your physical health. It is well said by Dr.Meghna that ”We are failing as a human or more appropriately as whole human community if we can’t provide help to people who need it the most” because Mental illness if left untreated could turn into some serious life-threatening problem as in some cases patients with mental illness tries to do suicide or perform activities involving self-harm so as to induce relief from pain and misery. Therefore, speak for yourself and seek help whenever necessary. Your well-being should be your top most priority. We tend to spend so much time judging and criticizing people on the basis of their problems and well-being but comparatively spend a little time in trying to understand their problem and give or provide them help if needed. Do you ever wonder how amazing it would be to live in a society with everyone having a broader mindset. Let us all turn this dream into reality by coming together and putting joint efforts to spread awareness about mental health and give our valuable contribution for the accomplishment of this tremendous goal.
Break the silence, break the chain, it is the time to start the game, eradicate the stigma should we all cheer, to win society free from all the fears.
Leave feedback about this