Mental Health: A shared investment for progress

Our brain is not an extraterrestrial substance and it should not have taken a pandemic to teach the majority of us that mental health is important. 

A news release published on the World Health Organization's website on 5th October, 2020, stated, "WHO has previously highlighted the chronic underfunding of mental health: prior to the pandemic, countries were spending less than 2 per cent of their national health budgets on mental health, and struggling to meet their populations’ needs." 

Looking at the meagre investment in the field of mental health, the theme for World Mental Health Day, 2020 is 'Mental Health for All: Greater Investment - Greater Access', as declared by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH). One aspect of investment is the monetary funding that we are talking about but there is work pending in the department of mindset transformation too. When it comes to my country India particularly, the underfunding in mental health is as severe as the stigma associated with mental health illnesses. 

"It's all in your mind, move on."  "I am not crazy to go to a therapist." " All these mental health issues are excuses." Heard of these statements? Greater investments come from a lot of tiny contributions and every effort makes a difference. Mental healthcare services, when destigmatized, will raise a society where we do not have to wait for an extreme example of death by suicide to comprehend why mental health is very much a part of our lives and that it is okay to reach out for help. Why be so ignorantly unpunctual about mental illnesses when we can seek help at the initial stages itself and lead a healthier life? When we have a physical illness, which is beyond our control we go to the doctor and don't hide the problem. I have never come across anyone remarking "Ye dengue seasonal hai, khud se theek ho jayega." But when it comes to mental health illnesses, it is swept under the carpet. The carpet has so much under it that it becomes a mountain eventually. 

How can we be a psychologically healthy country when we do not even acknowledge that there is a problem? Problems are there and turning a blind eye is not going to help in any way. Also, well-being is not about living a life which is 'trouble-free' because life never pledged to be easy and predictable. It is how we approach the stressors that matter. Most importantly, acknowledging the presence of a problem is where the healing starts. Conscious involvements on a psychological level in terms of working together as a society is what will make mental health services accessible. Our investment can begin from telling a child that it is okay to have scored less in an exam or by letting people talk about their painful experiences without feeling judged or by going on a social media detox when we are tired of the 'viral' rumours popping up on our screens or by spending quality time with our inner child.

Everyone has the right to mental well-being and the resources under no circumstance should be unfairly distributed on the basis of economic, social and religious backgrounds. Government policies can be revised to ensure that citizens from all corners of the country can have affordable access to mental health services. 

We have a huge shortage of qualified mental health professionals in the country and the quality of mental health services provided are further compromised when individuals inadequately trained without a proper educational degree call themselves "counsellors" and "psychologists." Tell me would you go to a doctor who has a six months diploma in MBBS? Absurd right? But when mental health is in the picture, everyone is an expert without a degree. This is why psychoeducation is urgently recommended. It would be beneficial if educational policies related to the same are added. 

There can be substantial growth in mental healthcare if we do our bit. This World Mental Health Day let's be kinder to ourselves and others, get comfortable with having open conversations about mental health and be grateful for how far we have come. Next time if someone tells us, "I am not feeling okay...", what would our response be?

©songbriti

 

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