New Delhi, Oct. 10 -- Mental health has officially entered the chat. It is on Instagram, in college conversations, at workplaces and increasingly around the dinner table. A generation ago, saying "I am seeing a psychiatrist" could invite uncomfortable questions. Today, a young person might casually tell a friend, "I have started therapy."
Gen Z deserves some credit for this shift. They have made it easier to talk about anxiety, depression, burnout, ADHD, trauma and relationships. They have questioned the idea that struggling should always be kept private.
But there is a problem.
We have become better at "talking" about mental health than "understanding it".
Social media's role in mental health awareness
Social media has made mental health information incredibly accessible. It has also made self-diagnosis incredibly easy. A checklist of ADHD symptoms can feel very convincing. A video about narcissism can suddenly explain every bad relationship you have ever had. A post about depression can make an ordinary period of sadness look like a psychiatric disorder. Mental health awareness should make us more informed, not more frightened about ourselves.
World Mental Health Day
This year's World Mental Health Day theme, "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change," takes the conversation one step further. It asks us to listen to people who have actually experienced mental illness and use what they tell us to improve healthcare, workplaces, policies and support systems.
That matters because mental illness is not just a diagnosis on paper. A patient knows what it feels like to sit in a waiting room, terrified of being judged, and the embarrassment of buying medication from the nosy local chemist. A person recovering from addiction knows how difficult it can be to return to ordinary life while others think it's their lifestyle choice. Someone living with depression knows that "just get out of bed" is not treatment, and a person battling OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) cannot just STOP washing their hands or inhibit their thoughts. Their experiences should shape the systems we build.
What are the common disorders?
Globally, anxiety and depression are among the most common mental health conditions. But the spectrum is much wider, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD, PTSD, eating disorders, ADHD and substance use disorders. India faces many of the same challenges, with additional barriers created by stigma, lack of awareness and unequal access to mental healthcare.
Is there treatment available?
The encouraging part is that mental health conditions are treatable. Treatment can involve psychotherapy, medication, family support, lifestyle changes, rehabilitation or a combination of these. There is no single treatment that works for everyone.
Is it expensive?
Help is available even when money is a barrier. Tele-MANAS, the Government of India's national tele-mental health service, provides free, 24-hour support at 14416 or 1800 89 14416.
What should mental health awareness look like?
Perhaps this is what mental health awareness should ultimately look like: not diagnosing ourselves from Instagram, nor pretending everything is fine. At the same time, it should not mean turning every difficult emotion into a disorder, but being able to say, "Something is wrong," knowing where to go, finding someone qualified to listen and getting the help we need, just like with any other physical illness.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.