The importance of mental health

It's importance and why nobody talks about it. 

Last I checked, the most common and the most under-rated medical issue of our generation was Mental Health . Shocking, I know. But if you think about it , it's actually not that surprising. Why ? Because when there's an epidemic, a viral infection going on or even just a change in the weather, everyone talks about it, they figure out a solution and it gets better. Well, mostly it does. But the only way to solve an issue is to realize its consequences and discussing it and working on it , right? If you're not going to talk about something, obviously it's not going to go away.

Now I'm not saying that NOBODY talks about it. Thankfully media has contributed a lot in spreading awareness and bringing this issue into the light for people but I'm talking about the shadows. The people away from the light. I'm talking about our homes and schools and institutes- the general public.

It's nearly 2019 , we are living in a time of extreme advancements in every field , be it medical, technical, educational etc etc etc . We have come so far from where we stood a decade ago. One would think we made some improvements in understanding and giving importance to the human mind but sadly, I still find people shrugging off mental instability like its a flu or something ! They don't realize that like everything physical that a person needs to see a doctor for, the mind also needs to be examined, evaluated, diagnosed and treated if it behaves abnormally.
Mental health is important. Don't shrug it off .

Now , in my opinion , there are plenty of  reasons why  mental health isn't talked about the way it should be, for example:

• Mental health has always been associated with a stigma. It has been misinterpreted and misunderstood by people. Therefore, a lot of people are suspicious of individuals who claim they have any mental health issue , whether it's depression , anxiety or a bipolar disorder. 

•  Being as common as it is , still a lot of people have no idea what mental illness is. And it is impossible to understand for someone who has never been through it, or to understand something that does not physically show. 

•  Most people confuse mental illness with normal emotions, like depression with sadness and anxiety with fear or "gut-feeling". This results in two outcomes: 

1.    They think they have been through the illness itself and feel that if they can overcome it, the other person can too and he/she should just "snap out of it" or "get over it"  because they did too.
2.    They underestimate the sick person's condition and treat it as a "phase"which will go away with time. However, with time it only gets worse, if not managed or treated.

•  Another reason why mental illnesses like depression and anxiety are not talked about is because most people going through it don't show or confess. They put on a mask on a daily basis to hide it from people so they wont be judged or frowned upon - yes, it's a sad truth.

Mental health is as important as physical health and it needs to be taken seriously. Like any physical pathology , mental illness can worsen and hinder your daily functions and cause irreversible damages to your mind and body.

If you're suffering from it, seek help. From family, friends or professional doctors. Don't hide. Don't try to "fit in". Speak out and fix whats hurting .
If you're not suffering from it, be thankful and keep your eyes and ears open. Somebody close around you may be drowning in pain and crying for help.You just need to pay attention.