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Welcome back, people. We hope you all are doing great and having a fulfilling time!

Today, let’s understand the state of mental health in India, which has been a prominent issue. The provisions that have been put in place to ensure the way through this are “STIGMA”!

History of different stigmas that India has faced, from “women working in a professional environment” to “mental health issues.” Have we really come far?

Stigma has been around for reasons like:

• India has been a male-dominated country and so being a woman in a workplace has been stigmatized for centuries, an issue that has changed, evolved to a significant extent in the India we live in today.
• Physically abled was looked at as an advantage, but we have fought our way up to winning the change in it.

And there are many more examples like this. But now we are facing the issue of acceptance of mental health in India more than ever, impacting the lives of millions of people.

Stigma is someone’s (or your own) perception of how you see something in a negative way because of a particular characteristic or attribute (such as skin color, cultural background, or a disability—mental or physical).

Stigma is not only with people around but also within:

Source:
What do people suffering from any mental health challenges face when they speak about their disturbed mental health openly?

1. 4 in 5 people think it is harder to admit to having a mental illness than other illnesses.
2. 1 in 2 are frightened by people with mental illness.
3. “Psycho,” “nuts,” or “crazy” are the most common descriptions of those with mental illness.
4. Mental illness ranked as the top stigmatized illness.

Source: PIM

A survey by WEF gives us clarity on how people feel about someone with a mental illness and how devastating:

Let’s understand a few harmful effects of these stigmas:

1. Shameful feeling, hopelessness, being isolated or choosing isolation
2. We don’t seek or ask for help and fight away from treatment
3. No one around us understands what we go through: Family, friends, coworkers, etc.
4. We limit ourselves about the opportunity of work or social interaction
5. Subconsciously or consciously harming oneself or others
6. We dive deep in self-doubt—the belief that you will never overcome your illness or be able to achieve what you want in life

To conclude, the route about how to fight this plague is called “stigma” in the area of mental health:

1. Speak about it openly: Declutter is built on the core belief that positive communication in a safe environment can fight this as a community. Join us at Declutter or any such moderated group or circle and speak without fear. Here, everyone is going to be a stranger and has the least scope for judging anyone. Over a period of time, it becomes a therapeutic experience for us.
2. Challenge self-doubt: This is a very crucial and tough thing to do, and so we suggest taking external help. Speak to someone who is part of the mental health community as a professional or a social worker. Declutter is an organization solely focused on this.
3. Opt for therapy or counseling: The most important first step you can take is to go to a counselor and figure out with them the root cause of it! By default, it will bring your fear out, and you will be able to fight through it stronger than before.
4. Dissociate yourself from illness: It is not that you are the illness, it is that you have a disorder. My co-founder developed the habit of saying “I acted stupidly in that moment” instead of “I am stupid!”!! A small change in the way we see it, and we become wiser about dealing with stigma!
5. Get help at your school: Counseling centers are of utmost importance at this stage of our academic learning, and it’s also a mandate to have one in every institute. You can always seek help from there.
6. Join or volunteer in the support community: communities like Declutter, the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and others, or find human led resources by using the internet correctly. Educate others about how you feel, and it’s okay to feel that way!
7. Get educated on how to differentiate information from noise: There is an abundance of information around mental health, and it is a challenge to find credible information. Find the right people or organizations that give you the right path to achieve the resilience to fight this stigma.
8. Laws of India supporting you: It is very important to know that India as a country is focused on making strict laws that enable everyone who is suffering from some mental health issue to. Section 21 of the Mental Health Awareness Act 2017 states all the rights for one to seek the correct guidance and treatment and provides all the help needed to overcome challenges in seeking help.

Be well informed with the right information and the right interpretation.We will fight and come out of this stigma together.