IS IT JUST IN THE HEAD ?

It's just in your head.

It's just a phase.

You just want to seek attention.

Go to your room and study!

Don't waste time on these idiotic things in your head!

It's all because of that phone you're glued to!

You have everything; food, clothes, shelter.

So what are you stressed about?

— Isn't this what you expect to hear in an Indian middle-class household when you tell someone, " I WANT TO SEE A THERAPIST. "

We need to understand that while this may be a possibility, one still needs to talk about it and seek help. The stigma around mental health is too vast to explain to anyone at once. The other day someone told me the reaction their parents had to them seeking mental help. It was not positive and somewhere or the other the same response as above. From that time on, I was bent on destigmatizing certain things.

“ Mental health problems don't define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but, importantly, YOU ARE NOT THE RAIN. ”

Stigma is when someone negatively views you because you have a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that's thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage.

Unfortunately, negative stereotypes towards people who have a mental health condition or seek mental help are common.

First of all, let's talk about the impact of Stigma.

The aftermath of stigma can be grave and devastating. A stigma is not only accompanied by constant judgments, and social rejection — which can be undermining and painful — , but also with fear, anxiety, anger, hatred, panic attacks, and much more concerning matters. Stigma makes people reluctant to seek help. Consequently, their conditions worsen. A stigma makes it likely for a person to experience harassment, bullying, increased socioeconomic burden, self-effacement, and self-loathing.

Now that we know the grave repercussions and the aftermath of Stigma, The only way to destigmatize things is to talk about them. Our society has made this a taboo topic, which only intensifies the issue.

Toxic Positivity is not the answer people!

Further, we need to normalize Mental disorders and seeking mental help.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “it is estimated that globally 450 million people suffer from mental disorders.” Among the Indian population, the estimated prevalence of mental disorders is found to be 5.8%.

Given its ruinous effect on treatment-seeking, adherence, and effectiveness, the stigma associated with mental illness can be considered a major public health problem.

It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to struggle. It's okay to reach out.

Now spread awareness and talk about it, as if not, then, a person who's suffering may be left all alone and isolated in silence. From then on one's going to understand the nuisance of the Stigma there exists around mental health. Then only one's going to normalize therapy, and seeking professional help. Until and unless one gains knowledge about something, they believe what they hear and hence believe in the stereotypes that have existed for centuries.

In therapy, people struggling with emotional difficulties, life challenges, and mental health concerns learn to understand and cope with it the right way.

Even if one's to able to reach out, take matters into your own hands. It's your body, your mind at the end of the day. You know what you feel the best. However, seeking help from a professional doesn't do any harm. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Just because it's inadequately discussed, doesn't mean it's any less important. On an individual level, the professionals guide one to :

 • ‌Read & Listen

Go through articles and books on your/your loved one’s condition. Listen to Ted Talks, audiobooks, podcasts, or videos on mental health. The more one knows, the better they can understand themselves or others with the condition.

 • ‌Think

Reflect on the one thing that makes you happy or that you're grateful for every day before you start your day.

 • ‌Bypassing emotions is not the solution.

Think about what you're feeling, understand it, and normalize it (why you're feeling that).

 • ‌Talk about your emotional being

Open up about what you are feeling to your parents or friends or any loved one. Bottling up one's emotions is not going to help. Let it out.

 • ‌Encourage therapy and normalize the topic

At the very least, implement this among your family and friends by making it a dining table conversation. No one should feel like that they have to hide their illness or their worries and feel helpless about it just because people are not aware.

Neither is this just in one's head nor is it a phase. Mental health is as serious a matter as heart problems. It shouldn't be a taboo topic just like all other health issues aren't.