What do you think when the word ‘mental issues’ pops up? Depression, Bipolar Disorder, OCD, ADHD right? Mental illness or issues are far more diverse and complicated than just a few of the nouns listed here.
Mental issues in India are almost never taken seriously rather they are often disregarded as a ‘phase’ or plain sadness. Why is it so? Why do we need to have some serious problems to finally consult a psychologist or therapist?
Why is it that therapy is still considered a taboo? Do this experiment for me, tell your parents that you want to visit a therapist, and see their reaction – it will most likely be weird.
The current generation struggles with issues which they are well aware of but their escape mechanism, which is built over years of conditioning tells them to stay brave, talk it out with a friend or simply ignore it. Often people also don’t go to therapy due to reasons such as expensive costs, scarcity of time, difficulty in finding a right therapist, the idea that only crazy people who go to therapy, myths about therapy or simply “log kya kahenge?” (What will people say?).
India faced an average of 381 deaths by suicide daily in 2019 and 300 non-Coronavirus suicide-led deaths in 2020. Thus, normalising therapy becomes crucial for everyone as these numbers would have been much less if mental health interventions had taken place at the right time.
What is therapy?
Therapy also called psychotherapy or counselling, is the process of meeting with a therapist to resolve problematic behaviours, beliefs, feelings, relationship issues, and/or somatic responses (sensations in the body). Going to therapy can be a great life-altering experience and the issues don’t always have to be too serious. Through therapy, you can curb self-destructive behaviours and habits, resolve painful feelings or memories, unresolved issues, improve your relationships and more. The best time to consult a therapist is when you know that you have some issues which need to be dealt with.
The reason why therapy is so helpful is that there are no strings attached, no judgment involved and you can completely be honest and channelise your emotions. Moreover, it helps to know that you are not alone in life’s problems; many people are experiencing similar pains, difficulties, and worries, and they are getting help and growing through therapy.
We all know how we take care of ourselves physically, even when we have minor injuries we still go to a doctor just to be sure and often say that ‘we need to take care of ourselves’, but when it comes to our mental health, we just go deaf and stop listening to our body altogether. It is equally important to be in a healthy mental state as it is to have a healthy body. The body is nothing without the mind and its mental state. The stress levels have been rising due to COVID-induced isolation and it becomes pivotal to keep a check on yourselves as well as your friends and family. These issues are not just limited to our generation; our parents struggle too but often don’t talk about it.
While therapy is inexpensive, various apps such as WeBoot where you can talk to a therapist anonymously or online network such as Now&Me, a peer-to-peer online network, can serve as avenues to vent — release your frustrations when nobody else around you seems to understand what you’re going through.
Anuradha Singal (currently pursuing MSc Counselling Psychology, Christ University) says that therapy doesn’t need to be considered only when we are in an extreme mental condition as a curative approach doesn’t serve well for your mental health. Rather one should normalise booking therapy sessions for minor setbacks also.
If anyone reading this knows that they are struggling with some issues, insecurities or other mental health issues, please consider therapy as an option and see the wonder it can do.