Here’s an experimental task for you! Ask your grandparents about anxiety and depression. They would probably answer it as a weakness or a lack of business. Then turn towards your parents, they might call it new generation tantrums and will suggest ignoring it or stopping overthinking. And now, call your Gen Z friend or neighbour for an opinion, and they will go like “my therapist says”. From our grandparents to us, conceptions of mental health have come a long way.
Although mental health stigma is still prevailing in the nation like a heavy hoe digging the trench for sufferers, at the same time there are signs of changing ideas. Mental illnesses aren’t just about fighting with thoughts but dealing with how it is perceived by our close ones. So, to revolutionise the concept, are you willing to join the movement? Let’s see how it affects the individuals and why it’s necessary to raise our voices.
How Mental Health Stigma Manifests in India
Imagine getting scolded by your close ones for taking therapy for mental illness as if a medicine for a fever is a sin. Mental stigma challenges start from oneself out of fear, judgment, or not being understood. Being a patient, have you ever heard statements like, “it’s all in your head”, “you will have to deal with it by yourself”, or “keep yourself busy and avoid these things”? If yes, you know that it feels like deepening the wounds with a sharp-edged knife.
In India, stigmas about mental illness don’t always have to be announced; rather, they branch into silent whispers, judgmental gazes and casual conversations. It exists in multiple faces, like when a workplace defines burnout as laziness, or family members perceive breakdowns as transient sadness or when friends complain about constant mood swings as one’s raw individuality.
Common Misconceptions About Mental Health
Imagine burning into ashes and being scared of screaming. Sounds terrible, right? That’s exactly what misconceptions about mental illness do to a patient. Let’s see what these are and how they are affecting the combating of stigma in society:
- Mental illnesses are a consequence of black magic or evil spirits.
- They are due to serious supernatural energy around the home or person.
- Prayers will do all the solving.
- Those who seek psychological care support are “crazy people”.
- People with mental illness are violent and unsafe to deal with.
- Mental disorders only affect adults.
Reducing illness stigma is the need of the hour so that patients can comfortably seek professional help rather than being dragged to religious or spiritual centres.
Understanding Mental Health Stigma in India
According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 36.6% of rural,20.7% of urban and 5.2% professionals thought that mental disorders are caused due to god’s punishment for past sins and karmas. These statistics mirror deep daily realities people face and feel. Stigma in India is mostly associated with cultural beliefs, social judgment and lack of stigma awareness. Don’t you think that the concept of normalising mental health fluctuations has become so adamant that now addressing it feels like a matter of shame? Misconceptions like past sins, lack of willpower and black magic have overpowered the social mindset that the actual neurological abnormalities are ignored effortlessly. Until and unless a written medical report suggests serious issues, the sufferer has to deal alone.
Effects of Stigma on Individuals’ Daily Lives
Stigma creates a long barrier between patients and healing. Imagine having a bodyache and not being able to visit a clinic because you are ashamed of it. Sounds weird, right? Here’s the actual picture of boundaries between physical and mental struggles.
- The importance of psychiatric care is often ignored and individuals become reluctant to seek help due to fear of stigma.
- It lowers the self-esteem of patients and generates a feeling of inability to improve.
- Social exclusion faced by individuals may even worsen their mental state. They have to go through rejections and abandonment daily.
- Stigmas restrict one from opening up and thus a lack of understanding with family members, friends and colleagues. This leads to damaged relationships.
- They may face overall downfall in life with an inability to improve in academics or work optimally in offices. Self-harm is the worst and most dreaded consequence of mental health stigma. Patients express feelings of helplessness and seek ways to harm themselves.
Wrapping Up
The journey of fighting with mental illness stigma is slow but noticeable. India has crossed many miles yet there are hurdles to overcome. But how will it happen? Changing mindsets at the individual level and then encouraging the community to join the path to attaining healthier minds. Families can support mental stigmas in many unnoticeable ways. So, being cautious and careful around the patients will help them get out of the cage as soon as possible.
If you find anyone in your vicinity in need of professional help, feel free to visit Muskaan Wellness. Here, we promote minds free of tangles and tension.
FAQs
How does stigma affect people with mental health issues?
Stigma affects people with mental health issues by causing self-doubt, social isolation, inability to seek help and an overall reduced quality of life.
How can individuals help fight mental health stigma?
Individuals can fight against mental health stigma by speaking out against it, learning to accept their condition, looking for help and opening up to others about the issues.
What are the psychological effects of stigma on individuals?
There are significant psychological effects of stigma on individuals, such as shame, hopelessness, lowered self-esteem and isolation.
How can online counselling help reduce stigma?
Online counselling reduces mental health stigma by providing privacy, anonymity, as well as convenience, which helps users share their problems without any fear of social judgments and taboos.