Not Just Bollywood | World Mental Health Day 2022: Mental health as important as physical health

Bollywood stars not only just talk about their celebrity status. After Deepika Padukone’s confession on her struggle with depression, many came out talking about their mental health issues. Actor Tiger Shroff also underwent severe depression after the release of ‘A Flying Jatt’. Shah Rukh Khan also landed up with depression after his shoulder injury.  It was also found out after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, how he too struggled with mental health problems.

We all know how all aspects of life, including school or work performance, relationships with family and friends, and participation in society, can be significantly impacted by mental health issues. Untreated mental health issues can negatively affect employment, safety, poverty, homelessness, and the local economy. They might have an effect on local businesses’ productivity and healthcare expenditures, hinder young people’s academic success and cause chaos in families and communities.

According to WHO, which estimates around 20 percent of youth, who suffer from mental health yet, this is just the recorded ones and if we can think about the ones which have not been recorded where I see the numbers increase. Social norms have created more struggles in balancing the physical and psychological health

The numbers are increasing with cases such as parental pressures, the social pressures to “fit in”, social media and its demands, addictions and peer pressure, disturbed family environment and many more reasons to trigger mental health.

Causes behind mental health issue

Dr. Sonal Anand, psychiatrist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai explains, “Many people occasionally experience problems with their mental health. However, a mental health issue turns into a mental disease when persistent symptoms put you under a lot of stress and impair your capacity to do daily tasks.

Challenges in life that are stressful, such as having money issues, losing a loved one, or being divorced, a persistent illness, such as diabetes. damage to the brain caused by a severe insult (traumatic brain injury), such as a concussion. traumatic events like assault or fighting in the military.”

Post-pandemic and mental health issue

The situation around mental health has increased post-pandemic be it children, youth or adults. Dr Anand further says that the COVID-19 epidemic has significantly impacted our way of life. Many of us are dealing with difficult and daunting problems. You, the people you care about, and those around you will become more robust as a result of learning good coping mechanisms for stress.

Psychotherapist Padma Rewari says, “There was an increased rise in cases of stress, suicidal tendencies, fear, depression, social anxiety during and now post-pandemic. Marital and relationship conflicts leading to mental health concerns.  Settling to the new norm was getting difficult during the pandemic. The only then thought about support system available was habits like consuming alcohol, smoking or gadgets which post pandemic was difficult to wean off.

Dr. Saurabh Mehrotra, Senior Consultant, Institute of Neurosciences, Medanta, Gurugram says, “COVID increased people’s reliance on the digital world and social media; people were exposed to a lot of unverified information via WhatsApp, which resulted in a significant increase in anxiety and depressive disorders. People began to have sleep disturbances, and their sleep-wake cycle became extremely disrupted. We also noticed an increase in anger and irritability in some people.”

Some people were so afraid of being infected by the virus that they went overboard to maintain hygiene, washing their hands excessively and using hand sanitizers excessively, which led to compulsive disorder in some people. So these are some of the reasons for the rise in mental health disorders since the pandemic.

Mehrotra adds, “If you look at the number of people affected by psychological fears around the world, there’s no doubt that there was a mental health pandemic going on concurrently with COVID, and it’s been recognised in almost every country in the world, not just India.”

Mental health issues in youngsters and kids

Parents may find it challenging to recognise a child’s mental condition. Many kids who may benefit from treatment don’t receive it as a result. Parents must recognise the symptoms of childhood mental illness and learn how to support your child.

“The quality of the environment where children and adolescents grow up shapes their well-being and development. Early adverse experiences in homes, schools, or online, such as being exposed to violence, having a parent or other caregiver who is mentally ill, being bullied, and living in poverty, raise the risk of mental illness,” adds Dr Anand.

Stigma attached to mental health

There is a stigma attached to mental health problems, but tackling mental health is the need of the hour. Stabilizing constructive habits, emotions, and ideas requires maintaining good mental health and managing any mental health disorders. Focusing on mental health care may boost productivity, improve our self-perception, and strengthen our bonds with others.

Connection of mental stress and heart diseases

Dr Annad says, “Taking care of our mental health not only makes it easier for us to operate on a daily basis, but it may also help us battle or at least regulate some physical health issues that are closely related to mental health issues. For instance, since stress and heart disease are linked, reducing stress may benefit heart disease.”

Effects of mental health Issues:

• Feelings of anxiety, concern, rage, despair, numbness, or frustration
• Appetite, energy, desire, and interest changes
• Having trouble focusing and making judgments
• Nightmares or issues falling asleep
• Physical symptoms include aches and pains, stomachaches, rashes, or headaches
• Chronic health issues and mental health concerns becoming worse
• Increased alcohol consumption, use of illicit substances (such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine), and abuse of prescription medicines (like opioids)

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