Why does Mental Health matter? The Indian Context!
- Neethi
- Dec 19, 2018
- 4 min read
I live in a country where stereotypes and biases of various kinds have got an undisputed order of their own. Whilst problematically, these notions have won the popular belief too.
Didn't it trigger your thoughts? Well! Consider these examples:
- You are a man! stop crying like a girl.
- The nature of being a true man is to fight and not sit in the corner and weep like a woman.
- You are crying as if you are being diagnosed with cancer, What is anxiety? It's just some tension and it's all in your head.
1. The Societal Perception:
We are driven by binaries, for instance a man and a woman, and social conditioning follows it's natural course of pre-implied notions based on sex, race, caste,religion and what not. This kind of upbringing innately creates a pattern in the minds of every young child and they are constantly on a spree of evaluating themselves based on those parameters. Although a particular act of a person need not be wrong in it's own right, the guilt that follows and shaming by the society takes a toll on the person.
It is unnecessary to even mention that every person's experience and story is different. But, the society and it's culture further contributes to the distress of the people suffering from some mental health ailment. Stereotyping & judgmental behaviors often make the matters worse. No wonder! India is the most depressed country in the world [as per the report of World Health Organization 2016].
2. Stigma surrounding Mental Health:
If this perspective is one thing to deal with, the stigma surrounding the concept of mental health is in itself a bigger problem.
When it comes to our perception of Health, there is a dichotomy between mental health and physical health. And we often form our biases towards the latter. We never really become aware of the fact that our health is deteriorating unless we are struck by some disease, a seemingly convincing result we can see in the form of medical reports. We seldom care about mental health.
3. The Alarming Statistics:
The irony is that India although being the most depressed country in the world, the investment in mental health care and availability of mental health care professionals is meager & minimal. Every one person amongst five suffers from some form of mental disorder. The rates of suicide in this country are alarming where 300 people on an average die every single day [2013], now the average rates today would certainly be higher. Despite being highlighted time and again by officials and intellectuals that mental health is becoming a bigger problem in India. The government allocation towards National Mental Health Programme this year [2018-19] was a meager amount of Rs 50 crores with an insignificant increase of just Rs 15 crores from the previous budget year.
4. Availability and access of Mental Health Care:
While I was in Germany earlier this year, I disclosed my struggle with Depression to a friend and she asked me 'have you consulted a doctor?' I said 'No' and added that 'it is quite expensive'. She asked me 'isn't it covered in your insurance?' I answered rather confused 'No!'. That was the first time I became aware of the fact that mental health could also be incorporated in health insurance policies.
On some research, I found out that according to the rules laid down by section 21 (4) Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 "every insurer needs to make provisions for medical insurance of treatment of mental illness on the same basis as is available for treatment of physical illness" but achieving this is a far bigger challenge, as insurers have the right of underwriting decision which also at times omits certain physical health illnesses. They are independent in their own accord to formulate terms and conditions of their policies. It's about the health policy that you sign and the it's provisions. At present, insurers do not typically cover mental illnesses. Even if they do for a selective few, it may not provide a blanket coverage to all the mental health illnesses. However, this act is a great step for providing mental health care as equal to physical healthcare and starting a dialogue.
5. The reach & expanse of Mental Health Care:
Given the fact that the counselling sessions and clinical treatment prove to be expensive for many people, the access of treatment is limited to financially elite & aware individuals. In other cases, even if the individuals are aware about mental health they cannot afford treatment. For example, a student who is financially dependent on his/her parents finds it hard to convince his/her parents who might not understand mental health because apparently he/she cannot show it on a paper as a report; which is otherwise possible in the case of physical health ailments. And the world believes what it sees and most of them suffer in silence. The areas where awareness or literacy cannot reach, people there don't even realize something called "Mental Health" exists at all.
Stigma and lack of awareness is stopping the possibility of a society where mental health is given importance equal to physical health. Undeniably, Mental Health needs to receive it's due importance and recognition that it is an integral part of health. Or else as the Lancet 2016 study quoted in it's report on Mental Health "Mental illness a ticking bomb in India" would certainly become more alarming and dangerous by every passing year.
Yes! Mental Health Matters. Because it is beyond stereotypes, medical reports and day- to- day emotions. And it is high time for a shift in our perspective.
References:
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Government of India & National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences; Bengaluru. (2015-16), "National Mental Health Survey of India"
http://www.searo.who.int/india/topics/mental_health/about_mentalhealth/en/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/shayanroy/facts-about-mental-health-in-india
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