World Mental Health Day 2023: Why is mental health still stigmatised and not taken seriously in India?

World Mental Health Day is a day to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters. It is celebrated every year on October 10. Despite being home to one-sixth of the world’s population, India has a severe shortage of mental health professionals and facilities.

According to several reports, it is estimated that in 2030, India will have the highest number of people with depression and anxiety in the world. Despite being a serious problem, mental illness is still widely stigmatised in India, and many people with mental issues are reluctant to seek help due to the fear of being judged or discriminated against. This makes it difficult to spread awareness about mental health and encourage people to seek treatment.

Why talking about mental health is important?

People in India are still far from understanding and accepting the biological basis of all kinds of mood and psychotic disorders. It is still not understood that mental health problems, too need to be given equal importance and treated the same as any physiological illness. Mental health should be talked about without any fear as people still lack mental health literacy in India. A major chunk of our population consists of people who are afraid to seek help for themselves because of the kinds of prejudices that have been engrained into our minds about mental health difficulties.

How to overcome the stigma related to it?

Mental health is something that should be considered normal. To overcome this problem, we need to follow some steps to raise awareness about stigma related to mental health.

1. We should talk openly about mental health.
2. Educate yourself and others.It is necessary to educate yourself and others about mental health. You don’t need to be an expert, we are all continually learning.
3. Show compassion and dignity
   What people who are experiencing mental illness often need most is someone to listen with empathy and support without judgment, and they are unlikely to seek help if they think they may be stigmatized.
4. Remember that people are more than their diagnoses. This means humans are complex and a person’s illness is just one small part of who they are.
5. Share messages of recovery: Messages of recovery are among the strongest and most hopeful tools in removing stigma.