Why Mental Health is Important?
by Surendra Prajapat
Health doesn’t always come from medicine, it comes from peace of mind, peace in the heart and the soul. We all are very much aware of physical health these days, we know everything what to eat, what not to eat, exercise etc.
But physical health is not the only thing we have to look after. If someone is physically fit that doesn’t mean he is a healthy person. Even according to the WHO, a person is healthy only if he/she is physically fit as well as mentally. WHO constitution states
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
There is such an environment that promotes physical health in our society, and people are very much aware of physical health. But when it comes to mental health, the awareness just is very little. We might think that mental health is nothing compared to physical health. But we are wrong, Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health interventions aim to move people- ‘up the continuum’ so that they are able to reach their full potential and live satisfying lives. Being mentally healthy means being resilient and able to cope with difficult times and feelings.
Mental pain may be less dramatic than physical pain but it is more common and also harder to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden. It is easier to say my tooth is aching than to say my heart is broken. Our country India is currently home to a population of over 1B citizens. A recent study conducted by the World Health Organization reveals that one in five Indians may suffer from depression in their lifetime which is 200M people and another report shows that mental illness is the number 1 cause of disability and 43.8M adults experience mental illness each year. The saddest thing is that due to the stigma associated with mental illness, lack of awareness, and limited access to professional help. Only 10 to 12 percent of these sufferers will seek help. Also, research shows that women are twice as likely to have depression and anxiety compared to men, mainly because of gender stereotypes, domestic violence, social-economic disadvantage, sexual harassment, etc.
Mental Health Matters, it is a serious thing to be considered, if those with mental health concerns are not getting better treatment then in the worst case it can result in suicides. Globally 1M people die due to suicides every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. Also, there are indications that for each adult who died due to suicide, there are 20 others who are attempting suicide.
An unhealthy mind may cause many problems to someone. It often has a ‘ripple effect’ on families, creating tension, uncertainty, stress, and sometimes significant changes in how people live their lives.
There are so many problems one may have and some of them are:
Feeling sad and down
Excessive fear and worries
Low energy and problem of sleepiness
Inability to cope with daily problems and challenges
Major changes in eating and sleeping habits
Low productivity and can’t work with full productivity
Anxiety and stress
Low confidence
Bad effect on social relationships
Family members, friends, loved ones are likely to be affected badly in different ways. After all of this, it’s normal to feel a whole range of emotions such as guilt, fear, anger, depression, and sadness. All of this is happening just because of an unhealthy mind. And also physical health problems are directly linked to mental health conditions. For example, heart disease and stress are related, so managing stress might positively affect heart disease.
Mental fitness follows physical fitness. Many emotional factors significantly affect our fitness level, like depression, aggression, negative thinking, anxiety, frustration, etc. A person, who is physically fit and in a good mood, can easily cope with any situation of distress and difficulty.
Mental health education is very important and it should be given to every citizen. The first step for this is that schools should include mental health education in the curriculum to remove the taboo around mental illness and sensitize students because mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Caring for our mind is as crucial as caring for a body because one cannot be healthy without the other.
“There is no health without mental health”.
- WHO
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