World Mental Health Day ignites the Reminding Light that we all are united, despite our colour, creed, race, by one thing, which all of us share in common, that is Our Mind !!
This day helps forward the intention into the action of envisioning and orchestrating Mental Health to gain main stage and everybody to live a life of dignity, where every voice matters, and everyone has access to affordable and quality-driven Mental Health Care!
Over the years we have seen many local initiatives, forming a platform to create awareness about how importance mental wellbeing is for our general health, and reducing stigma about mental ill health. The phrase “There is no Health Without Mental Health” is still ever so important and relevant!
The theme for WMHD 2021 could not be a more relevant this year: “Mental Health in an unequal world”. WMHD provides the global platform to come together and show case success stories and reduce stigma and inequalities !
Inequalities in access to mental health deprives people from living fully integrated and dignified lives. The greatest barrier that people with mental disability face is society’s attitude towards them. This largely determines how they are excluded from opportunities afforded to most of us!
Mental health is every ones business and together we can make a difference to ensure decisive action to increase investment in mental health and safeguard social justice for all living with a mental health condition !
World mental health day represents the attempt to fight against the stigmatization to which many of those who suffer from mental disorders were and still are subjected to it !
This day is for discussion of our attitudes, as human beings, towards mental suffering, which includes all those who suffer from the greatest vulnerability and require our help and our closeness !
As a global community we need to build mental health literacy, to boost health outcomes, make a commitment to ensure access to quality health care services when needed, advocate for greater investment in mental health supports including peer led, and recognise the strength and resilience of individuals, communities, and nations. WMHD reminds us that kindness, compassion, hope, and equity are needed now, more than ever !
As a mental health professional, l encourage all of us to join hands in this noble walk. Let us be the voice of the voiceless especially those patients in chains and locked up in psychiatric institutions without family or relatives visiting them to provide care and a shoulder to lean on. And to those whose family, relatives or friends have died as a result of suicide, l stand with you as you try to come into terms with the tragic loss. Just know you are not alone !!
Disparities are increasing between and among countries. Covid-19 is in itself an illness of inequality, with concurring violations of human rights, stigma and related discrimination both in institution and in society. This is linked to power and participation of all stakeholders; it is a political issue as well as a civic imperative for all of us. Moreover mental health professionals are asked to contribute with an unprecedent effort to deal with the highest and sudden increase of mental distress in society since last century, as well as to help especially those with severe mental issues to receive care and support !!
Our challenge will be to fight for better conditions, for greater access to health, for a greater budget for mental health.
The pandemic has multiplied the mental ailments: quarantine, isolation, deaths, have wreaked havoc on people and we must dedicate ourselves to mitigating those pains!!
Let us join our efforts to prevent future pandemics, to prevent future diseases but, especially, to leave a better world for our children and our grandchildren, a world with more justice, more equitable !!
The writer, Dr. Siddhartha Sinha is a Senior Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at RINPAS, Ranchi.