Brain is not a Play things.

In India problems don't qualify until they reach a certain standard; and even for that, physical health problems are neglected so is there any ground left for mental health?

The brain is the one who makes all the decisions and that is why people with mental illnesses suffer while making major choices.

And it is safe to say that our country has realized this a little late.

The economy suffers when people suffer.

"Who will spend when all of us will be dead inside?"

In 2017 the president of India announced "We may be on the edge of a possible mental health epidemic."

WHO's survey India is one of the countries struggling with the most mental illnesses, with the leading number of 14% of people struggling with some major mental illness.

45.7 million are struggling with depression and the causes are many, from the reduced number of opportunities, and even fewer career paths we also hold the record of 47 million people who have an anxiety disorder.

That is, 1 in every 20 is debating a suicide attempt.

Another survey conducted by WHO reveals that to fully recover; India will face a backlash of US $ 1.03 trillion.

The reality is quite simple as to why this number is so huge,

The number of patients is disturbingly increasing,

The rate of unemployment is higher than ever,

The medical help demanded is overlaying those which are provided, many of these people do not want to, or are not willing to come forward.

The medical help in cities is bad and rural areas have it even worse, a lot of the rural regions of India still do not know and understand these problems and neglect to identify and try to solve them.

People are getting anxious and not even realizing that this is an issue,

a lot of us forget that the modern period means, an easier lifestyle

easier ways to earn

easier ways to achieve

easier ways to exist.

We often tend to forget that harder is not always an option, especially when we are not ready for it.

It is more about empathy less about sympathy.

"I have come across situations where people want help but families won't let them." - Deepika Padukone

One more thing about mental health is that people, forget to understand that if a person is facing problems, stating that someone else might have it worse is not going to help.

When we start to rant about how unreasonable it is to face a meltdown when 'you are so young to have issues' we forget that, it is not going to make anything better, but it might worsen the issue at hand. It makes the person feel very small and unwanted when people mention such absurd facts, the reality is that it never is about how big the problem is, or how much stress there is, but about how the brain is tackling these small issues.

Mental Health is caused by many things, and thus tracking them is not easy, so what psychologists have come down to is that these mental health issues are caused when there is a lack or excess of some chemicals, like dopamine, oxytocin, etc.

If that is true then people acting out on smaller issues and feeling numb is totally justifiable, then why do people still say that 'you are faking it'. It is astonishing to find that the majority of the people suffering from them actually worry that they might be faking it and do not come forward.

No one can fake it.

Because even if you are, then also you have some mental issues because your brain wants to fake a mental illness.

People in our parliament have tried to counter these issues with statements like 'it is all in their head' which according to me is ludicrous as, yes it is in fact in their head, that is the problem.

In India or anywhere actually, a person struggling with these needs or even requires to have a meltdown in order for their peers to understand that there is a problem, this is a major part of the issue. If someone has to go to such an extent where they actually have an anxiety attack or panic attack for you to see that there is an issue to take care of, then we know that you are part of the problem.

We came so far, to a point where an entire spectrum suffers.

"Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of but stigma and bias shame us all."- Bill Clinton

The age group of 18 and 25 being at the stake of this epidemic is no secret, but why them? why the most important part of the population?

Why the youth?

The pressure of having a better life with the burden to achieve the greatest of the ranks is just a little part of it.

Many experts believe that the lack of social behavior is the leading cause of these issues, they say that the outside that humanity has created for this generation, and the ones to come, is not safe, and there is no place for any innocence. It all starts with childhood and the negligence carries on till adolescence and further to teenage. What parents forget to understand is that, listen and just be there without having to give advice then maybe we can solve this problem.

We look at the youth and frown, we look at them and worry. What we forget is that we made them this way, who grew them? who forgot to teach them? who pressured them? it was all us, and none other.

One of the other major parts of the population that suffers from major mental illness is also women.

They make up 51% of the population,

70% of the poor,

83% of single parents,

doing 66% of the work,

producing 50% of the food,

yet,

earning 11% of the pay,

and only 1% of the land.

I guess after those statistics there is nothing much to say.

It will soon be too late.

"Children are not problem, they have problems. Focus on helping your child not fixing your child." -L. R. Knost

Isn't it disappointing how parents say that they would die for their child and yet somehow providing health care is not an option; there are still people out there who think they are woke, yet make fun of people suffering through these problems,

everyone has excuses,

some say if your job is not satisfying then quit and conveniently overlook the threat of starvation and homelessness.

Some say, people with less money are just not trying hard enough and thus making it hard for themselves, where they forget that companies are easily hoarding money worth the man's entire life.

Some say they are too young to understand and take the stress of it, and the answer is yes, they are too young to worry about national security and climate change and take the stress of it. But they have to because they are the ones who will have the scarcity.

The others say that maybe they should try and come forward. Talk to someone and tell their tale,

this popular notion is not their fault. People who do not suffer from these mental issues can never accurately understand the problem and that is okay, but throwing phrases like, 'just don't worry about it

'just stop feeling anxious', 'you are making it a big deal', and 'stop whining'.

These statements are not helpful but saddening, they cannot control their feelings and reactions. Just sit close and listen, try to relate without making them feel small.

Here understanding that maybe even solving their problems won't change anything, mental illnesses do not come and go. They are more like waves, sudden darkness in the circus of light. It is when you are having a good time, laughing and joking then for no reason your smile fades away, and you feel disconnected, or numb. There is no reason, no question of how or why, it just happens.

Lack of motivation or lack of pleasure from things one used to love, is when things get severe.

Every mental illness is hard and many can give rise to more.

If you see someone struggling approach them and look after them.

It is not that hard.

Not for you, just remember;

be polite,

someone might be debating on staying alive.

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There will be another blog on this topic so stay tuned!