The campaign slogan for World Mental Health Day 2021 is Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality.
The covid-19 pandemic affected most of us, especially some groups such as, health and other frontline workers, students, people living alone, and those with pre-existing mental health conditions.
For some what started as good fun thing to be working from home soon turned into a nightmare for some because of multiple reasons. It started affecting the mind and people were apprehensive to talk about it. And before we could realise, mental health started to worsen.
Those who talked about their mental health problems were less impacted.
If we need to improve our mental health, we need to talk about it. And that is the difficult part, because of the stigma attached to it.
We all need to work towards overcoming the stigma attached to mental health. Just as one can talk about a heart surgery, we should be able to talk about our mental health.
I do talk about my mental health. Do you? The cost of not talking is immense.
We must all be aware that mental health is dynamic – it changes from day to day; sometimes even hour to hour or even earlier. Talking eases…
We all need to work towards overcoming the stigma attached to mental health. Just as one can talk about a heart surgery, we should be able to talk about our mental health.
Workplaces are encouraging employees to talk about their mental health. There are CEOs who talk about it. This way you sort it out before it hits hard.
Talk your story to someone close and listen to the story of others.
Some Indian film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Hollywood actors like Robin Williams, Justin Bieber, Jim Carrey, Janet Jackson have been affected by mental illness – most of them spoke about it and have survived.
Work and workplace are not the only ones that affect mental health – there are personal factors as well – be it kids, spouse, friends, finances etc. Deal with them upfront to find a solution to end the mental anguish.
During this year’s World Mental Health Day campaign, the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages you to highlight positive stories as part of your own activities, as an inspiration to others.
And to not hesitate to contact a counsellor or a mental health expert as you may require medications. Timely intervention is all that is required. Do not miss it – no stigma, just talk!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr Ajay Sati is an Occupational Health physician who prefers to describe himself as an Occupationist, to denote, ‘an expert in diseases and other concerns of occupations’. Dr Sati has managed health and wellness programs in industries he worked, like the atomic energy, and energy (oil & gas) in India and overseas. He was involved in many greenfield and brownfield projects providing inputs from health point of view. Known for SOPs and protocols, he is currently involved with an energy MNC in designing protocols to support employees during the covid pandemic, and protocols to safely reopen offices and plants.
