The Importance of Mental Health
Today I’m going to talk about mental health.
Mental health is important, just like physical health. If you fall down and hurt yourself, you get treated for your injuries, and in time they get healed. But when it comes to mental health, why not take same steps? Why do we dismiss it so easily? We just say “it’s all in your head”. It might be all inside the head, but it is as real as it can get. There is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health. It is what it is – an illness. Sometimes we perceive we might have stuff, but most of the time you gut instincts won’t lie.
Talking to a therapist is considered a disgrace and those who take therapy are ridiculed, sometimes made a social pariah. That should not be the case. These are the people, who should not be kept away from discussions, who should not be set aside, but who should be getting your full support. Our duty as humans is to help each other out. So why not help others if they are suffering and if we are also suffering, why not seek out help?
Have any of you ever experienced any of these symptoms where you feel like crying all day, feel like doing nothing, lying on the bed and either sleeping too much or not sleeping at all, and losing interest in the activities which you used to love? These are all the symptoms of something more serious than your average “bad mood”.
Depression is a very serious illness. It should not be dismissed. People suffering from depression should seek out help in all possible ways. Family members and friends should be supportive and they should try to understand what this is all about. Sometimes we reject the unfamiliar, but we should try and understand what depression is to make the sufferer feel better. If you are the sufferer talk to someone about it, remember, no one should suffer in silence.
Not just depression, there are other forms of mental illness too, that should be diagnosed properly, and care should be taken to educate both the person suffering and people close to them. Organisations can take initiatives to educate their staff about mental health because helping staff be mentally healthy is also a priority for an organization.
Mental health starts with you. It not only includes getting treatment for your illness, it is also taking care.
Remember, everyone deserves better than suffering in silence.
This is just the beginning of our discussion, watch out this space and feel free to comment about this.
Here is where you can get help:
Suicide Prevention Hotline – 1-800-273-8255
Listen to Someone or Talk to Someone
Love,
Pooh
