Ready to take a tour of your mental health? Koott helps in awareness!
Health as defined by WHO is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”. While we have always given absolute importance to our physical well-being to the point that we go to the hospital to cure a cut we might have got from a sharp object due to fear of tetanus. Our social relationships and our actions in society form our social well-being. Then there is mental well-being which is given the least importance. A physical discomfort comes with the added discomfort to our mental health, the same goes for social well-being.
Let me ask you a question, how many times have you gone to see a mental health practitioner due to mental discomfort, or even spoken to others about your feelings? For that how many of you know what are mental health discomforts?
According to WHO “Mental health, a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community"
To put it simply, any sort of discomfort such as anxiety, depression, the feeling of loneliness, stress, frustration, unwanted aggression, etc that is disrupting your normal rhythm of daily activities can be considered as mental discomforts. In India, there is always a cloud of stigma that surrounds mental health that hovers over society and stops people from getting proper help to cope with the above-mentioned mental discomforts.
Be it a depressive state stemming from love failure or loss of loved ones or difficulty in the workplace, at the end of the day we all need someone to listen to our stories and problems. What a mental health practitioner does is exactly that and a bit more. The depiction of mental health and mental health practitioners in the cinema just adds to the fuel for the stigma.
A mental health practitioner listens to problems and guides you to cope with the problems. The basic mental health issues are covered by counselors. As the degree of the mental discomfort increases, they can refer you to a psychiatrist, if they believe some sort of medication is required to treat the condition, otherwise, sessions of therapy are administered by a psychologist.
“What might others think?” a common dilemma and fearful thought that creeps into our mind while thinking of visiting a mental health practitioner. The solution is you can talk to them about what actually happens when you go to see a mental health practitioner masking why we went there, also we can also give them a briefing on what is mental health and create awareness about it, maybe they might be having an issue or someone they know might benefit from the information we provide. Thus, such a spread of information can slowly bring down the stigma cloud that is hovering over mental health.
‘There is no need of being ashamed of going to a mental health practitioner, it is just the same as we go to see a doctor for physical discomfort!
Mental health practitioners do not give out advice on how to deal with a mental issue, nor it is about patting your back and saying sorry for the way you feel. They do not ignore any of your queries or problems no matter how small they are. They listen to you and understand your problems, and they do not judge you for who you are or based on your problems.
If you are feeling any sort of discomfort or any person you know is having mental discomfort due to any unfavorable situation, please direct them to a mental health practitioner as soon as possible. Isn’t that what we do to people having physical symptoms who have not visited a doctor yet?
Finally, I would also like to address the issue of parenting and how it affects a child. In India, parents are competitive when raising their children, making them work hard to earn the best grades possible and get to a prestigious institution and become a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or any of the similar top jobs.
The sheer pressure they put on the children to perform has brought a big danger over the years. Student suicides are the highest in India due to this very fact, the dropout rates in colleges because they can’t keep up with the tough syllabus and the abuse these dropouts face from their own parents to people they don’t even know has led to many suicides.
Class 10 is a big step where every parent expects their children to score the top marks and anything less than 90% is seen as a disgrace, the failure to meet the expectation of parents overloads the child with guilt and finally, the pressure makes them kill themselves.
The trend is almost the same in every part of the country, nobody tries to understand the talent or passion a child possesses and forces them to the path that is accepted and most popular.
The frustration of not doing what they like and failure to meet the expectations set by society makes him feel like a total failure and a waste of money for the parents. The parents might have never even thought of this though, but their lack of understanding for their own child and the expectations they set kills their own child. The education system also plays a significant role in this which is usually ignored too.
The situation on the mental health stigma has toned down over the years and it is gaining some prominence in the country. This is not enough though as the number of people with mental discomfort is ever increasing due to the internet age as well the current COVID-19 situation and the need for proper mental health check-ups is ever the highest. In the years to come the importance of mental health and treatment of mental discomfort is only going to gain more popularity and significance.
As you have read this write-up, you have gained a basic knowledge of mental health, mental discomfort, and the importance of mental health practitioners. I ask you to spread the information as much as possible and help increase the awareness on mental health and why it is absolutely ok and normal to visit a mental health practitioner be it a psychologist or psychiatrist. Be a koott to someone!
Struggling with stress or feeling overwhelmed? At Koott, our dedicated Malayali psychologists offer confidential online counseling to guide you through challenging times. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength—not weakness. Reach out today and start your journey toward a healthier mind.
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