Mental Health Myths

Today, my group and I attended Ms. Yesha’s session about how mental health is perceived in India. By participating in various activities which included myth ranking, acting, and analyzing a specific scenario of someone seeking help in India, it came to my surprise that many citizens of this country do not take mental health seriously. From calling it “fake” to labeling the mentally ill as “dangerous”, it is not shocking to say that many who suffer from a mental illness choose to not seek professional help. As alternatives, they may reach out to family that will only consider it as a minor thing or call them weak, which is absolutely ignorant and upsetting. Because of the lack of awareness, there are not many professionals in this field to help those who are struggling, fueling the fact that more people who have a mental illness do not get the treatment they need. I hope the stigma around mental health awareness becomes more prominent in Indian society, and that the topic itself disregards itself as a taboo. As someone who wishes to study psychology, this session enlightened me greatly and I am grateful for the experience and exposure.