UEA INDIAN SOCIETY

Mental health can be classified in many perceptions, however there is a lot of stigma towards mental health towards underprivileged children and adults all over India. Also, poverty has an effect on the behaviours people express due to their mental health stigmas.

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In parts of India below the poverty line, the first stigma is the instant reaction of abnormal behaviours due to the lack of education. There are a few words in Hindi such as ‘gando’ and ‘pagal’ which defines mad and mental to describe initially people with mental health. The fact that in India, people would scream ‘you are mad’ instantly shows a lack of compassion due to a shortage of mental health education. If the first initial thoughts of different behaviours are extremely negative, it puts extra pressure on people to perform in all aspects of life. These first perceptions of someone suffering from mental health also trigger bullying and being berated by people surrounding you.

Bullying wouldn’t just happen in schools, it would happen in the open areas of the country, as there is a lack of understanding on how mental health affects people’s way of thinking all around. Bullying was the main source of hatred towards these people, as the main perception of people suffering is that they are not as successful as others. One example is someone I know had to take chemotherapy due to a brain tumour that altered his way of thinking and logic. The result from that change led to him being bullied for his academic ability and social status. He was easily mocked, and did things he didn’t want to do, as that was the reaction bullies wanted to get.                                                                                         

The main stigma from being bullied by different agents in your area is depression. Depression is defined as feelings of severe despondency and dejection. In India, kids who are influenced by the lack of empathy and understanding towards their mental health will lose their confidence of themselves. Parents in India expect their kids to succeed, and this exerts extra pressure on mental health kids. And because the of mental health causes these kids to think differently, leading to worse grades, it leads to depression. In addition, the consistency of bullying due to people with mental health being different leads to depression of them. The norm of people looking down, as well as taunting and scorning the suffering makes people lose confidence. As people with mental health feel like they’re a failure, it leads to an increase in depression.          

                                                                                           

Depression takes its toll not just on mental health, but also physical health too. Below the poverty line where remedies and therapy are unavailable, anti-depressants come in the form of unhealthy and dangerous drugs. The increase of drug take changes your thinking process, as it damages your brain, as well as changing your behaviours. In higher poverty areas in India, there are a number of people who consume lattha (which is methanol). Lattha toxicity affects your coordination and makes you lose consciousness, as well as vomiting. This is a dangerous stigma due to mental health.             

                                                       

However, the consumption of dangerous drugs can also lead to another stigma of mental health in the form of domestic violence. Mental health effects of violence against women in India can include behavioural problems, sleeping and eating disorders, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, self-harm and suicide attempts, poor self-esteem and consumption of harmful substances.

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There has to be some action to tackle the education levels towards mental health. Teachers should be educated about helping kids who suffer from mental health in order for them to feel like they are a part of society. If there are talks in schools to do with mental health, there will be an increased level of awareness of the symptoms, the stigmas and how to deal with them.            

                                                                                                                                     

 In Ahmedabad, one school called St Xavier’s High School of Loyalahol had a councillor who would support kids who are suffering from the stigmas of mental health. According to a student, speaking to the councillor helped kids open up about their condition, which improves their confidence. The councillor would have broad amounts of knowledge to help with the condition and support the student. The benefit of having this particular councillor is that they can detect symptoms, so that they know how the kids are feeling about their mental health. Having this councillor is like a safety net, where kids can express their issues and they can receive the help and care they need. This is an example in a humble working-class society therefore it shows that low levels of affluence shouldn’t make you stop raising awareness.                 

                                                                                                        

There has been a trigger of non-governmental organisations to be set up to provide for the unfortunate. One example is Ashdeep Mission. Ashdeep Mission was formed in 1996 in Northeast India to help mentally ill patients get access to rehabilitation facilities. Since its inception, 1200 individuals in Guwahati and over 2000 in rural Assam have received help with issues related to mental health. 650 homeless people have been housed and treated at rehabilitation centres and 550 of them have been reunited with their families. This shows how supporting these people help with family ties across the Northeast.       

 

Another example is Neptune Foundation. It was established in 2010 under the Neptune Group. They work to identify homeless people with mental illness wandering the streets, take them under their wings and arrange treatment for them. Once they battle their memory loss and are cured, they are reunited with their families. Neptune also arranges to pay for the lifelong medication of their patients who can’t afford it. They have saved around 283 people and successfully reunited 183 with their families.  

                                                            

The Government of India launched the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in 1982, keeping in view the heavy burden of mental illness in the community, and the absolute inadequacy of mental health care infrastructure in the country to deal with it. One component of this programme is treatment of mental illnesses. The introduction of primary health care through the NMHP ensures the availability and accessibility of minimum mental healthcare for all in the foreseeable future. Another component of this programme is the prevention and promotion of positive mental health. Eradicating stigmatisation of mentally ill patients and protecting their rights through regulatory institutions will promote community participation in the mental health service development; and enhance human resource in mental health sub-specialities.

 

We can see mental health stigmas can always be reduced in India if people educate themselves, which would make them accept those people in their society. NGOs and government programmes have also acted to not just spread awareness on mental health but help people who are suffering from it.

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By Rhiyan Patel