Ignorance Is Not Always A Bliss!

Get wise to it.

- Medha Chawla

We see a doctor when we get hurt by slipping from stairs or when our body aches or if we feel feverish. In other words, physical damages to our body attract a lot of consideration from us. We also schedule body check-ups to ensure we are leading a healthy life. But how often do we visit a psychologist or fix an appointment for a mental-health check-up. Who goes for a mental health check-up after all? Moreover, the answer to this is, most of us do not even consider this vital enough!

Physical health v/s emotional health

While we are taught to openly discuss and share our physical pain, emotional sufferings are meant to be enclosed within our selves. Owing to this thinking, most of us lead unhappy and gloomy lives, and carry the burden of our mental sufferings.

Even though we bear heart-wrenching pains and endure a lonely feeling for several weeks and months, going to a psychologist never crosses our mind. After all, psychologists are pagalon ke doctors. Hail the Indian society for developing this stigma and carrying it ahead since time immemorial. This stigma, inherited from previous generations is unfortunately still prevalent. As a result, more than 50 per cent cases of mental illness go unreported. Consequently, India is featured among the countries that witness maximum number of suicides. And those who fail to carry the heavy and painful baggage of emotional burden and refrain to consult a therapist, end their lives by committing suicide. In 2014, India was the most depressed nation with the highest number of suicides, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Mental disorders