Ashley Noronha
We have to create an awareness of the stigma and discrimination of those severely bound and affected by mental illness. There are evidences in medical circles to highlight the extent of every day stigma faced by those severely affected by mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder or depression.
Psychiatric disability is a behavioural or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. People having symptoms of agitation, anxiety, depression and psychosis are prone to mental illness in the long term. Medications like mood stabilizers, stimulants and psychotic drugs should be administered very early on. Many people affected by the disease are unlikely to disclose the diagnosis of mental illness that they have. This can lead to suicides, cognitive impairment and social problems. Nearly 30% of all such cases would not be comfortable sharing their mental illness with a friend. Moreover there is worrying evidence in certain findings which highlights the stigma in the workplace. Nearly 3 in 10 adults would reconsider working alongside someone if they had a diagnosis of severe mental illness. Nearly half of the population wouldn't reconsider working or sharing their mental details with a manager in a company.
In some cases, these patients are treated as outcasts which is deplorable, we all should endeavour to mix with them and share knowledge and skills even physical things like books or eatables. Against a backdrop of rising numbers of people out of work due to poor mental health, it's vital we tackle this stigma in the workplace and ensure the right reasonable adjustments like mental health support are in place so that people can thrive and stay in work.
We have to start a campaign to build on this sentiment and help people understand the stigma and discrimination faced by patients living with severe mental illness but also offer advice on what to do if someone is worried about their own and if there is someone else's mental breakdown. People severely affected by mental illness should be free to go about their lives without fear of stigma and discrimination, whether that's at home, school, work, but it's sadly perceived that this isn't the case. Stigma and discrimination aren't harmless, they hold people back from staying well and living their lives to the full.
Root causes of these conditions are loneliness, isolation, racism, childhood abuse, poverty, trauma have to be tackled promptly with discretion. Some real stressful issues like death, sickness, divorce, use of substances, loss of job, school dropouts, can trigger bouts of depression. Good lifestyle habits, nutrition, good hygiene and sleep, exercise in a well aerated room can go a long way to regain total recovery. Whereas untreated mental illness could lead to suicides, cognitive imbalances, joblessness, incarceration, society isolation which can be traumatic, for the affected person. Appropriate and timely consultations with experienced psychiatrist is advisable.