People are often reluctant to get treatment for their emotional well-being because of societal stereotypes and pre-conceived notions. This needs to change
Mental illness in India accounts for 28 per cent of global suicides, as around 197 million Indians suffer from some form of it. Yet it is a subject that is ignored and brushed under the carpet as it is considered to be a stigma in the country. However, the recent suicide by the promising Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) has brought the issue back into the spotlight, even though a lot of people were in denial that the talented, young man, who was doing well for himself, was suffering from depression and had decided to end his life at the age of 34.
Even though social media and the family of the actor are denying that SSR committed suicide, the fact of the matter is that he is not the lone celebrity with mental health issues to have done so. Hindi film and TV actors Kushal Punjabi, Jiah Khan, Gurudutt, Pratyusha Banerjee and actors from the South like Sai Prashanth, Uday Kiran, Ranganath, Santhosh Jogi, Silk Smitha and Kalpana all ended their own lives. The majority of these celebrities committed suicide when they were basking in glory and there was no dearth of fans. The award-winning Dubai-based Indian industrialist, Joy Arakkal, committed suicide as he was battling depression due to a financial crisis. The story behind Cafe Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha’s death was the same and came as a huge shock.
The fact remains that celebrities do fall prey to mental illness for all their outward fame and success. However, many conspiracy theories are doing the rounds regarding SSR’s death and the larger discourse on mental health is getting lopsided, or worse totally ignored. The discussion on mental health, a part of public health, remains a low priority and a taboo. Sadly, celebrities suffering from mental health issues are not willing to forgo their fame and saleability in the process of mitigating their mental illnesses.
If, like Bollywood A-lister Deepika Padukone, more of them would come out and talk about their struggle with depression, it would do a yeoman’s service to Indian society as mental health is often stigmatised in the country. It would help common people to cope better with their own mental illnesses and life’s struggles and hopefully get timely help. This is important as farmer deaths are at 11.2 per cent of the total suicides in the nation whereas students contribute to 6.7 per cent of the burden.
The National Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, is in a precarious condition to address this grave situation. Moreover, the World Mental Health Day campaign of “Move for mental health: Let’s invest” by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health doesn’t mean much in the Indian context. In an urgent note, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has shouted out to strengthen India’s public health system for human resource development. Tellingly, mental health remains undeniably one of the most neglected areas of the public health system in the country, which in any case is in a poor shape.
Now, with the Coronavirus resulting in widespread joblessness and reverse migration of millions of labourers to their villages, this burden of mental illnesses-fuelled suicides is only set to grow. As many as 466 suicides were reported this year to date, which means that on an average, over two people are taking their lives daily. Reportedly, farmers top the list, followed by labourers, students, private sector employees and businessmen. Over 40 suicides were reported in January, 45 in February, 32 in March, 47 in April, 89 in May, 112 in June and 101 in July. Of the total number of suicides, 302 were reported in May, June and July.
The two-fold increase in suicide cases is being attributed to the growing stress in the wake of the pandemic. In fact, suicides are believed to be the second leading cause of non-Coronavirus deaths during the lockdown. The issue in these troubled times is double-layered and has to be discussed keeping in mind plenty of factors. Fear, uncertainty and suicidal thoughts have gone up and people are becoming highly vulnerable.
Plus, the dread of contracting the disease, combined with the realisation that the incidence of COVID-19 has spiralled instead of being contained, and that the days of social distancing could extend indefinitely, have been profoundly disturbing for many. So people who were on a mild anxiety spectrum earlier have moved to moderate and severe anxiety. When anxiety gets severe, self-harm increases.
Also, psycho-social issues, such as domestic violence and sexual abuse, have added to these woes. More housewives have committed suicides because of a spurt in domestic violence, intimate partner violence and harassment.
Taking worries about the mental health of India’s adolescents to another level, there has been a spurt in suicides by teenagers in these uncertain times as those already suffering from depression or anxiety can be pushed over the edge by even a small trigger. For instance, the 14-year-old daughter of a daily wage labourer in Kerala ended her life owing to the inaccessibility to a smartphone. Here, the digital divide was the trigger for the youngster to end her life.
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, reveals that 13.7 per cent of India’s population suffers from some form of mental illness. Sadly, India spends only 3.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product on healthcare services. Moreover, its spending is the least among BRIC countries. Adding to the problem, only 1.3 per cent of the total Government health expenditure is allocated to mental health. It is hard to believe that basic healthcare facilities are not there for mentally disturbed patients in a 20-kilometre radius.
To make matters worse, India has one doctor for every 1,00,000 people. There are only 43 hospitals and 3,000 psychiatrists available in the entire nation, leaving a number of mentally challenged or disturbed patients in the lurch. Since it is a signatory nation of the United Nations’ (UN) Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Government should proactively address the issues of the disabled irrespective of its nature.
The Mental Healthcare Act 2017, assures bio-medical, clinical interventions and institutionalisation to intervene in mental health issues. Despite the Act, the social determinants of health (SDH) are not fully functional. Suffice to say, the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) offer a blueprint for human development and for addressing the SDH.
While mostly people with mental illness are unemployed, inclusive education, too, is a distant dream. The approach to deal with the issue still suffers from pity, charity and a medical model of disability. Plus, the medical and administrative apparatus dealing with mental health is not gender and region-sensitive. There is no discussion on women with mental illness and mental patients residing in rural and tribal pockets.
Farmer and student suicides are creating havoc in the country. Yet, there is no thorough probe or discussion on why certain States are more prone to suicides than others. People are often reluctant to get treatment for their emotional well-being because of societal stereotypes and preconceived notions. This needs to
change.
In addition, the news media remains episodic in terms of the coverage on mental health issues. As a result, the underestimated consequences of such health issues are getting perpetuated, stressing the public healthcare system. India cannot achieve its SDGs unless it curbs its rate of suicides.
The WHO asserts, “Mental health and well-being are fundamental to the quality of life, enabling people to experience life as meaningful, become creative and active citizens.” In these pandemic times, it has disseminated comprehensive guidelines to keep mental health intact. In addition, the IMF has endorsed that India should boost its human capital by investing in education and healthcare.
The discussion on mental health needs to be re-oriented and no more compartmentalised. Socio-cultural, economic and environmental factors covering national policies, social protection and community support must be ensured. Resilience among adolescents and children needs to be exercised. A multi-pronged approach is the solution to several psychological issues.
(Biswal and Chakraborty are Assistant Professors at SIMC and SIBM respectively and are working at Symbiosis International, Pune.
