The intention of writing this blog is to spread awareness and information on issues related to mental health. Awareness is the starting point for potential change and transformation, and without awareness we tend to make ignorant choices. Ignorant choices lead to poor health, low well-being and poor prognosis in terms of recovery from illness.
Mental health awareness is a hot topic in the current era due to the rising levels of disability and illness in the world. The World Health Organization has predicted that by the year 2020 depression will be among the top four major conditions that would cause a public health concern. There is conflict, poverty, dysfunctional family systems, poor coping skills, and elevated levels of stress that leave people predisposed to psychological illness. This creates an immediate shift in the level of functioning of those affected and therefore cascades down to their families, workplaces, relationships, and all other aspects in their lives. However, as redundant as it may seem, awareness is still the key to move towards healthy communities and thereafter a healthy society. The dissemination of information needs to be more on a grass-root level rather than a top down mechanism. The free flow of information and awareness would help people make informed choices and health decisions.
Awareness should ideally reach all strata’s of society, without there being a divide between the haves and the have nots. This would help reduce the pungent, powerful stigma that exists against psychological illness, not only in developing countries but also in developed countries, though one may not necessarily acknowledge this. Stigma survives due to the lack of sensitisation, information and sensitivity. We often facilitate it's existence, sometimes to satiate our own needs, and in a society, stigma often begins at the governance level, trickling down to the masses, leaving an acrid stench of apathy, prejudice and decadence.
Now, how do we battle this apparent lack of awareness and information?.
Mental health, terminal illness, are not 'juicy' topics from what I've heard from different people in the media, and the lack of 'juice' immediately brings down sales of newspapers,magazines etc, again this is not only my view, but the general view of those with an inkling of sensitivity. It is somewhat frustrating and sad that the 'juice' decides what gets published and what gets ignored. People killing each other, politicians backstabbing each other, the growing rates of disasters, have priority in today's media but not important, relevant issues like mental health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and the list could just go on. Television grants precious advertising space for political campaigns, beauty products, and sometimes just nonsensical ranting, but where is the space for people, to get information and knowledge about ' people issues'?. There is something fundamentally wrong with what our priorities are.
Information about healthy ways of living, disease prevention, reciprocal relationships, making safe choices and where to seek help, could potentially lead to a society which is tolerant, healthy and informed. This seed has to be germinated, nurtured and sustained. This can only be done by the people, and by people I mean the common man. We cannot rely on our leaders, politicians, or our bodies of governance, and leave our health in their hands. We have to be active participants of this process and not passive recipients. Change happens when we genuinely want it to happen, and not when we wait for it to happen. Transformation happens when we transform our inner selves first, not when we sit on our behinds and long for transformation to happen. This is a plea, to all the people, who encounter this blog. Please get off your behinds, and talk about issues that matter to you, that affect you and others that you care about.
Mental health awareness is a hot topic in the current era due to the rising levels of disability and illness in the world. The World Health Organization has predicted that by the year 2020 depression will be among the top four major conditions that would cause a public health concern. There is conflict, poverty, dysfunctional family systems, poor coping skills, and elevated levels of stress that leave people predisposed to psychological illness. This creates an immediate shift in the level of functioning of those affected and therefore cascades down to their families, workplaces, relationships, and all other aspects in their lives. However, as redundant as it may seem, awareness is still the key to move towards healthy communities and thereafter a healthy society. The dissemination of information needs to be more on a grass-root level rather than a top down mechanism. The free flow of information and awareness would help people make informed choices and health decisions.
Awareness should ideally reach all strata’s of society, without there being a divide between the haves and the have nots. This would help reduce the pungent, powerful stigma that exists against psychological illness, not only in developing countries but also in developed countries, though one may not necessarily acknowledge this. Stigma survives due to the lack of sensitisation, information and sensitivity. We often facilitate it's existence, sometimes to satiate our own needs, and in a society, stigma often begins at the governance level, trickling down to the masses, leaving an acrid stench of apathy, prejudice and decadence.
Now, how do we battle this apparent lack of awareness and information?.
Mental health, terminal illness, are not 'juicy' topics from what I've heard from different people in the media, and the lack of 'juice' immediately brings down sales of newspapers,magazines etc, again this is not only my view, but the general view of those with an inkling of sensitivity. It is somewhat frustrating and sad that the 'juice' decides what gets published and what gets ignored. People killing each other, politicians backstabbing each other, the growing rates of disasters, have priority in today's media but not important, relevant issues like mental health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and the list could just go on. Television grants precious advertising space for political campaigns, beauty products, and sometimes just nonsensical ranting, but where is the space for people, to get information and knowledge about ' people issues'?. There is something fundamentally wrong with what our priorities are.
Information about healthy ways of living, disease prevention, reciprocal relationships, making safe choices and where to seek help, could potentially lead to a society which is tolerant, healthy and informed. This seed has to be germinated, nurtured and sustained. This can only be done by the people, and by people I mean the common man. We cannot rely on our leaders, politicians, or our bodies of governance, and leave our health in their hands. We have to be active participants of this process and not passive recipients. Change happens when we genuinely want it to happen, and not when we wait for it to happen. Transformation happens when we transform our inner selves first, not when we sit on our behinds and long for transformation to happen. This is a plea, to all the people, who encounter this blog. Please get off your behinds, and talk about issues that matter to you, that affect you and others that you care about.
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