Real Concern or Just Talks?

On 14th June 2020, a news flashed everywhere about a successful actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide which left everyone in a huge shock.People just knew that he is going through depression and everyone started posting about mental health awareness.There were posts saying:’talk to your loved ones’,’understand and listen to them without judging’,’if you feel sad, depressed or anxious vent out your worries’,etc.I would like to ask all of them that, is mental health only concerned with sadness,isolation, anxiety or depression? Does one get depressed only because of not sharing his/her worries?

Let’s take an example.Vidyut coming from a really orthodox family is living as a male for past 17 years but as he goes through certain changes in his teenage, he starts facing discomfort with his sex(the biological identity as male/female) and gender(based on what society molds us into a man/woman).He  feels comfortable dressing like a woman and doing everything a woman would wish to do but regrets even about having the private parts which causes a lot of trauma .At such a young age he is totally confused about his own identity and tries to discuss it with his own family which turns into an intense conflict.It is hard to accept sudden big change but character shaming isn’t the right choice.Vidyut cries,feels frustrated and exhausting. Instead of calming him down his parents hit him with a cane stick,shout at him,lock him in the room and after some days even don’t allow him to live in nearby residence.As he starts leaving his house,one last time,with all the courage looking back and hoping that someone would stop him from going away suddenly hears harsh words like ‘You are a maggot to the society’,’Don’t ever call us your family and think of returning back.’
Now,consider Vidyut as your brother or son.What would you do?How would you react?Would you try to understand  and support him?Would you take him to a psychologist or a counsellor or would you simply declare him mad based on little knowledge and the beliefs you hold about this issue?Will you be able to give the same respect, support,love and care leaving what society thinks right and empathising the victim instead of blaming for being different?

This was a case of gender dysphoria.There are many such disorders and disabilities people are not at all aware about or even if they know some of them,the knowledge is not sufficient and hence these days people categorize certain much organized individuals as affected by OCD(Obsessive compulsive disorder.) But it’s much more than staying organized or being tidy.Anxiety is more than just worrying,PTSD than just flashbacks,Bipolar than having frequent mood swings and Schizophrenia than just hallucinations.We all just label someone as schizophrenic or BPD patient based on very little observation and act hostile or ignore.But only sharing posts won’t help.Sympathy won’t help.Just talking won’t help.If we really think of showing concern then it’s high time that we act, empathize, understand,help and spread awareness only after being completely aware about what the condition is in reality.Mental health is as important as physical health.Brain is an important part of our body like our heart or stomach is so if anyone doesn’t feel well mentally it’s ok to seek help without any shame or hesitation.

Consulting psychologist,psychiatric,neurologist or an NLP practitioner would really make a difference when you are not able to handle your loved ones,friends,family,classmate or even a colleague in your workplace suffering from any kind of trauma or a complete breakdown.Show humanity,not hostility.Connect with people,be responsible and show some love as everyone deserves it.

What else than thoughts, affects mental health?How does society contribute in shaping our thoughts,beliefs,attitude, behaviour through every dimension and stages of life?What is the motive of spreading awareness regarding mental health according to you? Do share your views in the comment box.