Why talk about mental health
Your mental health influences the way that you think, feel, behave, make choices, and relate to others. This means that your social, professional, and personal life can be greatly impaired when you are mentally unwell. Being mentally healthy makes you feel good about yourself as well as enjoy the pleasures of life. You are also able to to grow and to try new things as well as prepare for life’s difficult moments both at a personal and professional level.
It is interesting that children are taught from early childhood how to take care of their physical health; that is hygiene and sanitation– brush your teeth, bathe, wash your hands, eat your food, don’t eat too much sweets, wear warm clothes, don’t play with water, we take them for vaccinations at the right time etc. Yet, we forget to teach about mental health – we don’t allow them to express their thoughts and feelings – we say, boys don’t cry; good girls don’t get angry. We shame them -that is too insignificant to affect you. Creativity is discouraged because they are not allowed to make mistakes. Thus , from early childhood, we show them that mental health is not a priority.
It is time we started shouting about mental health from the rooftops. Here are six reasons why we need to do so:
1) Because good mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness. It is a state which allows you to flourish and fully enjoy everyday life. If you do not take care of your mental health, you could find it challenging to work, build healthy relationships, and even leave your home. So really, there is no health without mental!
2) To help detect mental illnesses early enough. Studies have shown that the impact of not taking care of the mental health affects both the life of the growing child and progresses even up to adulthood if not resolved. Unlike physical wounds, emotional wounds do not mellow with time.
3) To correct the wrong perception of what mental illness is. The believe that people suffering from mental issues are unkempt, live on the streets, eat out of dustbins, are aggressive is wrong. To be more specific we call them mad, insane. It is sad that in the African setup, mental illness is viewed as a curse and a bad omen. This makes it a spiritual problem rather than a medical one, causing people to turn to religious leaders or traditional healers for a cure. Since these people are not equipped to deal with the problem, it only escalates the situation leading to deeper psychological trauma.
4) In the recent past, there has been a spike of mental illnesses and suicides especially among young adults. Even children as young as nine years are committing suicide. This shows that there are many who are suffering from mental illness and they are not even aware or they are unable to seek treatment because of stigmatization. Opening discussions on mental health helps to break the taboo associated with it and creates a save space where people can talk openly talk without feeling judged
5) To give hope to those people who were exposed to early negative experiences in their interactions predisposing them to social exclusion; discrimination and stigma from their peers and the society in general. This, in turn has affected their physical health, relationships, and has even driven them to engage in risk-taking behaviors as a coping strategy. To such people there is hope because treatment is available. They can rise up and live a productive life once again.
6) Equip people with skills to detect mental illnesses and how to respond and even deal with those suffering from mental illnesses. If a mental illness goes untreated for long, there are chances of a greater risk for developing co-occurring disorders which will need dual diagnosis treatment to fully heal
This discussion was motivated by an experience that i encountered recently while attending a funeral in the countryside As the ceremony was ongoing a young lady of between twenty to twenty three years of age kept walking around and aimlessly engaging with the people. She seemed unkept but was not aggressive. One of my relatives told me not to engage with her because she was “mad”. This troubled me because deep down in my heart i knew that this was a mental illness that needed attention. I started imagining how many more have been excluded and stigmatized and have had their future ruined just because of an illness that needed attention from qualified personnel.