Mental health is the overall wellness of how you think, regulate your feelings and behave. It is a person’s condition with regard to his psychological and emotional well-being. It affects how people think, feel, and behave. It is how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development. Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. Mental health is not about mentally retarded or insane people. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, poor mental health and mental illness are not the same.
Perhaps because mental illnesses are simply not as concrete as physical illnesses, they are often not taken as seriously. Contrary to this popular belief, mental illnesses are actual diseases that must be treated as seriously as physical diseases, such as cancer or heart disease. In many ways, mental health is just like physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it. Good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that we need and want to live our lives. Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. For example, depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness. It is, therefore, high time for our society to take up more responsibility for the mental health of our people and help eradicate the stigma around it. Valuing and promoting mental health is possible only when it becomes a part of our culture. Fostering a culture that is pro-mental wellness can no longer be delayed.
The World Health Organization reported in 2017 that there were about 9,000 psychiatrists practicing in India, which equates to 0.75% per lakh of people. WHO estimates that the ideal ratio is three psychiatrists for every lakh of people. Mental health problems have been growing rapidly over the last few decades, but our infrastructure has remained woefully inadequate. Given the WHO’s estimates, you can imagine the scenario in Mokokchung. How many mental healthcare professionals are there in Mokokchung? Maybe one or two, maybe none. But look around us, there are so many people in need of help. Church, civil society organizations and volunteer groups must start talking about mental health already. Adequate awareness and education on mental health must be promoted. The stigma and taboo around mental illness in the society can be vanquished only with continued awareness and education. The myths surrounding mental health must be busted and the facts presented. It is time to encourage conversations on mental health. A loved one’s mental health needs to be treated as importantly as their physical health. Like we would encourage one to talk about their physical sickness and offer support, mental health needs the same treatment.