Why is it important to have some awareness about mental illness?
A mental illness is a physical illness of the brain that causes disturbances in thinking, behaviour, energy or emotion that make it difficult to cope with the ordinary demands of life. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Just like taking care of our physical health gives us the ability to move and play, the same way our mental health gives us the ability to handle challenges that come our way. We can all do things to raise awareness, and what is most important is that we try.
"The burden of mental illness is on the rise. With the number of people reporting mental health concerns slowly increasing, it has become difficult to ignore the impact that mental illness can have on our day-to-day lives, our society, and our economy at large. In India, while 20% of our population suffers from a mental illness, only 10-12% of them seek aid for their mental health concerns", stated Arushi Jain, executive director, Stayhappi Pharmacy.
She added, "In order to build a society where everyone is able to get the support that they require, we need to raise awareness about mental health concerns and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness."
"Mental illness awareness for me is being comfortable talking about my mental health without the fear of being judged for it. It’s less stigma and less hatred towards those with mental illness", she further said.
Why is it important to have some awareness about mental illness?
Even with physical distancing, there are ways to get involved and raise awareness for mental health conditions. Here are a few examples:
1. One of the main reasons why individuals with mental illness do not seek professional help is because they might not recognise the symptoms as signs of mental illness. For example, for someone suffering from depression, observable symptoms such as low motivation and sleeping excessively might be misattributed to laziness.
2. Knowledge of the various symptoms related to different disorders will then allow us to notice when we, ourselves, or anyone around us is likely to be suffering from a mental illness.
3. Having some awareness also helps us to better understand what we are going through and pinpoint exactly whom we need to ask for support.
4. It would further help to spread awareness across the larger population as well. Knowing more about how the illnesses work, and the effect that they have on the people with mental illness can help build empathy within the general public for people suffering from these disorders.
Considering that most of the earlier strategies to enhance mental health have not succeeded over the past six decades or more in less-developed countries, the time has come to take on a new approach with renewed vigour. Mental health awareness can become both the means and the way of ending this apathy.
Progressive government policies based on evidence-based approaches, and engaged media, a vibrant educational system, a responsive industry, aggressive utilisation of newer technologies, and creative crowd-sourcing might together help dispel the blight of mental illnesses.
