As an Indian, if you’ve ever brought up that you are feeling depressed and, instead of a doctor, were offered sunshine and a new hobby, you are not alone. Simply put, the good old consensus in Indian society would have you believe that there exists nothing like a mental illness. Spoiler alert: there does.
The internet has helped raise mental health awareness to a large extent. But even so, terminology like ‘paagal’ and ‘mental hai’ for people living with mental health issues obstructs many from ever wanting to learn more about a patient’s struggles.
Living with a mental illness like schizophrenia in India
Credit: iStock
I grew up knowing someone who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. According to the World Health Organization, it “is characterised by significant impairments in the way reality is perceived and changes in behaviour related to persistent delusions, persistent hallucinations, disorganized thinking and highly disorganised behaviour”, among a slew of other symptoms. The WHO also shares that “stigma, discrimination, and violation of human rights of people with schizophrenia are common.”
The latter part is highly visible in our society. In a 2018 study commissioned by The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF), 75% of participants stated they felt sympathetic but also showed “feelings of fear (14% would always be fearful), hatred (28% feel hatred sometimes or always), and anger (43% feel angry sometimes or always) towards people with mental illness.”
Lack of empathy towards people dealing with mental health issues
Credit: iStock
Growing up in the late 90s and early aughts, I learnt of this indifference first-hand as I watched this adult being put under intense scrutiny. They deserved none of it. One may credit the lack of awareness to the dearth of valid resources but empathy should hardly be a concept too difficult to grasp, especially for adults.
I learnt, however, that adults—with all their education and wisdom about the world—hardly bat an eyelid before mocking a mental illness, sometimes right in front of the person going through it. One can imagine how that fares.
The stigma attached to mental illnesses
Credit: iStock
Over the years, I started noticing how people react to a mental illness, to someone going for therapy or talking about their mental health, just for some semblance of hope that things weren’t all that bad. While some people understand and empathise, many still don’t know how to react to things as necessary and relevant as a therapy session.
Even in 2022, many haven’t learnt how to treat people undergoing a mental health crisis with respect and it shows. I say this because there is no scarcity of people who still continue to use harmful, unkind terminology; who feel that thinking happy thoughts and staying positive is what is required to beat a mental illness (it’s not); continue to trivialise it and, most importantly, think that mental health issues do not deserve anyone’s attention.
To top it all, “everything is fine” is repeated a hundred times over, as if it’s enough to help treat a mental disability. Going to therapy or visiting a psychiatrist for a consultation, on the other hand, are subjects best discussed in hushed conversations, if at all.
People with mental illnesses face society’s wrath, scrutiny, isolation and lack of unawareness on a daily basis. One can equate it to an ailment of the body and make comparisons, but in this day and age, why are we still at this stage?
Stigmas stop patients from sharing their struggles
Credit: iStock
It goes without saying that on many occasions, such stigma and judgement often deters people with mental health issues or illnesses from coming out in the open and seeking help. It leads to them internalising guilt and feeling even more trapped.
On the surface, people diagnosed with a mental illness could be just like anyone else. But they are going through something the rest of us couldn’t begin to imagine. So, would it not be absolutely terrifying to be left alone and feel isolated?
The least we can do, as a society that often claims to be progressive, is be kind to people and give them the respect they deserve. You truly never know what someone is going through.
Lead and social image credits: Excel Entertainment, Bipin Vohra
