Mental Health Awareness Week
With the advent of MNCs and the corporate culture strenuous factors like long working hours, erratic sleep schedules and unhealthy eating habits have become rampant.
As a result of this, lifestyle disorders, both physical and mental, have shot up rapidly. To deal with such lifestyle disorders various unheard of specialists have come up like dieticians, nutritionists, life coaches and lifestyle instructors. Gyms and other agencies offering quick weight loss and healthy lifestyles are flourishing. The physical ramifications on our bodies were well addressed but the psychological implications of stress caused by the daily hassles and the growing cut throat competition in the world around us still remain inadequately addressed.
Picture Caption & Link: Stress at work can lead to mental fatigue and illness., http://bit.ly/1pg6YeG
The importance of mental health has been overlooked, and is deemed necessary only for those who have gone completely “insane” or in other words, are dysfunctional. Hence the awareness about mental health in schools, work place and even in our families is almost non-existent. So, as parents if we are working and don’t have time for our kids we would replace the lost affection with materialistic possessions. We completely overlook the plight of students who fall short in the rat race. We have no time to notice that a colleague might be having a nervous breakdown. This has led to some serious consequences where anxiety disorders, depression and other psychological disorders fester within individuals for years before they are noticed by anyone around them.
What is even more discouraging is that even if the family members or people around notice the signs of mental strain or illness, it is preferred to be kept under wraps because of the stigma attached to it. The concept of mental health is a taboo especially in our country and mental health practitioners are struggling with this ideological obstruction in people’s minds to address it as it is supposed to be. People remain undiagnosed and a disorder that could have been prevented when it presented its initial symptoms goes unnoticed. The general mentality of people is that as long as the person remains functional in the most rudimentary way it isn’t something that needs to be delved into. And, if the person shows any signs of being dysfunctional he/she is berated and stereotyped into poorly understood categories and the negativity extends itself to the rest of the family as well.
This attitude of the society has a greater negative impact on the individuals which further adds to the illness and/or fosters illness even if it wasn’t there in the first place.
Picture Caption & Link: We need to address the social stigmas surrounding mental health., http://bit.ly/1ne6C6H
Understanding these complications surrounding mental health and the growing importance of spreading awareness about it mental health practitioners have taken it upon themselves to bring light to the darkness surrounding these concepts. Mental Health Week, which is celebrated every year in the month of October, is one such initiative. The practice of Mental Health Week was established in the year 1990 by the U.S. Congress in association with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to spread and raise awareness about Mental Health. Various organizations like universities, colleges, hospitals and other mental health associations conduct various programs including panel discussions, movie screenings, talks and musical events to convey the nuances of the mental health in as many ways as possible.
Due to these and many more efforts, the situation in India has drastically changed. People are more receptive to inculcate understanding about mental health matters. The schools have been instructed to have an entire mental health team which consists of school counselors as well as Special educators who are active and fruitful in their efforts. The various talks and lectures arranged for students and the general population by hospitals and universities has opened the minds of people by attempting to fight off the stigma associated with mental illness.
Picture Caption & Link: Different types of mental health disorders., http://bit.ly/1nqchfV
We here at One World News, will do our bit by promoting the Mental Health Week in our own way. Look out for events and other informative articles that would provide useful insights into understanding what is the concept of mental health and how do we address it. We hope that these efforts will help break the barriers in people’s minds and enlighten our society making it a healthier place to grow and prosper.
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