Here are a few points I am trying to talk about, but I urge you to please read the entire thing
Mental disorders are as common and manageable as getting a cold.
Get your mental health screening done even if you don’t have any apparent problem, like a regular blood checkup.
Mental health professionals are here to help you but they can’t force you to seek here.
Recommend a therapist to anyone and everyone easily, without being stigmatized.
Since the time we received news of Sushant Singh Rajput's untimely demise, the conversation about mental health has gotten all flared up. My Whatsapp is flooding with people writing heartfelt blogs trying to make sense of the situation. I am glad we are taking mental health seriously because I think it is high time that we did. I would just want to add a few things to this.
We are all reading about #depressionisreal. I would like to point it out that not just depression, but every mental disorder is real. Being anxious about your failure is real, being depressed about something or someone you lost is real, being incapacitated to control your rage is real. Every emotion is real and which is why every disorder caused by disturbance of these emotions is real.
While friends, family and fellows are your major support system, there is no shame in seeking out help. I know we are reading about help is out there, seek it. But we need to think if we do enough to make the available help accessible. In today's world, where everything is available online, I still find a gap between mental health professionals and people. We are here to help, day and night. But we cannot drag anyone to seek our help. It has to come from you.
This is my humble request, and I speak for all mental health professionals around the globe. Please talk to anyone you think needs to seek therapy. Don't leave it to the person solely to seek help. If you know any therapists, please recommend them to anyone you think might benefit from the help they receive. There is no reason to be stigmatised about seeking psychotherapeutic help. It is as common and as easy as going to a doctor to get flu shots.
I urge each and every one reading this, please recommend therapists and psychiatrists to everyone as easily as you recommend your physicians. At the same time, I think it is high time we realise the importance of mental health screening. Please go to a therapist, get your mental health screened just like you get your blood work done. You may not know how many demons you are fighting without being aware of it.
I hope this heartfelt message reaches people out there. I am here to help, we are all here to help. Please talk to us, please talk to professionals. We can help you equip yourselves to fight off your demons.
Aditi Kulkarni
Psychotherapist and psychologist
Yuvana Wellness
+91 8669440965