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Don't suffer in silence, consult a psychiatrist please!

It is frenzied Monday morning; everyone in the house is at breakfast table, simultaneously running schedule for the day in mind and managing the conversation going on when hubby's phone rings. He leaves the breakfast unfinished and talks with saint like patience and sympathy for about twenty minutes while I fume secretly at the caller and get concerned that hubby will have no time left for breakfast.

The caller is a distant relative from mother in law's side; a lady in late seventies, a widow with two sons in their late forties, both suffering with severe psychological issues that need expert professional help. One of her sons has attempted suicide in past and now is bedridden. Her calls have become a ritual and reached a point where she calls any time of the day and night, desperately seeking some solace for the bouts of anxiety caused by her tragic circumstances. Family members and relatives close to her have distanced themselves long back as their attempts and advice to take help from psychiatrist have met with contempt and callously ignored, further complicating the issue. 

Isn't it deeply disturbing to see such cases around us; people in desperate need of help of a professional psychiatrist shying away from it for lack of awareness, fear of social rejection or taboo? It is strange even in today's times, when every minute detail of our life gets shared with hundreds of strangers on social networking sites, there is no one around to notice, understand, support or reach out in time when one's mental health needs attention? Try talking about feeling depressed and people promptly suspend its possibility, diluting its seriousness by ignoring it or going into complete denial assuming anything "abnormal" like mental health issues can't happen to seemingly normal person! The typical argument one finds is, "what does she/he have to be depressed about in life? She/he has everything hence no reason to feel that way." Unfortunately, the world's most disabling epidemic rears its insidious trap in very subtle way. 

The recent tragic case of Hollywood actor, Robin William's death has once again brought the topic of suicide/depression/mental health to the fore and since last few days, social networking sites are buzzing with lots of stories on the subject. Shocked as we might be by such tragic events, not much really changes in our mindset or perspective about the issue and we, as society continue to have complete disregard for a healthy approach towards mental health issues. Psychiatry is still seen as some mysterious field and is a delicate matter that needs to be handled respectfully even by the medical practitioners. Despite the medical advancements, there is hesitation in disclosing the fact to the patient that he/she needs help of a psychiatrist.    

The social acceptance of consulting a psychiatrist is so low in India that even the most educated people prefer consulting alternate healers or fortune tellers instead of seeking help of a psychiatrist! One finds shockingly widespread cultural beliefs that blame demon possessions, bewitchment by evil spirits, ancestors’ spirits, or the evil eyes for various forms of mental health issue. There are rampant false assumptions for mental illness attributed to karma or the will of god. The stigma attached to the mental health issues is so potent that people who suffer from psychiatric problems are subjected to social isolation and ridicule that sometimes reaches inhumanly insensitive limits! 

Our modern day mantra of emphasis on perpetual happiness fails to understand and value importance of healthy, natural balance of different feelings including pain, disappointment, anger etc. We need to learn to deal with our natural emotions, accept them and learn to cope with them in mature, healthy manner. No mental illness should ever be trivialized as most of the diseases in mental health are treatable with proper medical attention, psychiatric therapy and social support if addressed on time. 

Psychiatry is not a taboo and consulting a psychiatrist does not mean the person is weak or has something to be ashamed of or keep hidden from friends and family. There is serious need to create awareness programmes on understanding mental health and the issues related to it within community and encouraging people to come forward for treatment before they reach a state of crisis. Consulting a psychiatrist should not be considered only when all other attempts to handle issue on our own fail and to create that kind of awareness tackling misinformation and incorrect yet long-held beliefs need to be handled with utmost maturity. Psychotherapy should not induce fear or embarrassment. It should give ray of hope. 


We all have secret demons. Just because someone is not able to deal with them properly does not make him/her weak. There is dire need to reach out to those who need to be heard, understood and taken care of. 

A life lost/ruined due to mental disease is a shame on society. Each case like Mr. Robin Williams is a reminder we still have miles to go. It is time we learn to be sensitive towards people with mental disease and their families and help spread the awareness about it. I think we owe that much to society.  

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