World Mental Health Day: An opening to address suicidal issues

PC THOMAS

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10th October every year, with the key objective of raising awareness of mental health issues surrounding the people and organizing endeavors in support of mental health across world. In the light of multiple mental health issues, quite relevantly the number of people thinking about suicide or doing self-sacrifice has risen dramatically in the Indian context. It attributes reasons such as diseases, love affairs, divorce, marriage failures, extra-marital affairs or any other issues with the people, play a crucial role mainly in the suicide of people in India. Sexually abused suicide attempters have also risen dramatically in state to state level, partially in the lockdown period.

Mental issues in children are on the rise in recent time.  Every year after the Board examination we hear about students who are ending their lives because they feel they are unable to live up to the expectation of their families.  Lockdown triggered emotional strain among children as they are not getting to close together with their peers at school which remain closed in the wake of the pandemic.

On the arrival of Covid-19, the mental and substance use disorders have increased by over 50% in the past 25 years. Suicides are rampant everywhere because anxiety levels are very high in most cases. However, all these incidents help us understand that every suicide is tragic and is recognized as a mental health, public or social issues in almost every country and it needs to be addressed.

Also Read: searching-suicidal-behavior-in-children

While searching common causes of suicide, a few things are definitely clear and need minimum explanation. All suicides are based on mental imbalance or a weep for help. All suicides are mostly planned and well-contemplated as well as connected to a reason that remains unexplained in most cases. There can’t be a fixed reason rather there are a number of factors that contribute to the fatal act.

The question of debate arises in the midst of suicide cases is that how we would deal with the situation?  Why is mental imbalance still a taboo in our society? Why depression, which could be indicative of suicidal behavior, is not taken seriously? And lastly, why caste, gender, social status or popularity are the criteria for labelling or judging someone’s suicide?.

Also Read- keep-mental-health-while-social-distancing

This year’s World Mental Health Day comes at a time when our day by day lives have changed considerably because of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are several challenges facing now as a large number of peoples are trapped in difficulties in different sectors with limited protection from COVID-19. For skilled laborers whose livelihoods are threatened. A good percentage of workforce in Indian companies suffer from some or the other form of stress.  Students, adjusting themselves with emotional well-being conditions, encounter much more social separation than before.  These are major factors that can affect mental issues. Therefore, taking care of mental health of people in this critical age is paramount and needs to be seriously addressed in the World Mental Health day.

 

 

 

Take a pledge to fight against the stigma of Covid patients

PC THOMAS

COVID-19 is the biggest challenge of our lifetimes unfortunately. It is changing human behaviors and attitudes today to a great extent and forcing people to respond in different ways. Presumably, the pandemic may require more time to be brought under control and it may take years for normalcy in all aspects of life to return. Meanwhile the moot question is how we would survive. Perhaps there will be radical changes in life in the future, as the crisis has caused a great deal of panic and the, people now consider it more of a crime to be affected by it than a disease.

What is the attitude of the society towards the patients who are confirmed Covid positive? Due to panic among the people, the Covid positive people are sometimes treated like untouchables, even though they are getting recovered from their disease. The cured persons struggle with multiple factors including social isolation, stigma and discrimination which put them at higher risk of psychological problems. This social stigma needs to be tackled through education and awareness.

According to doctors’ versions, the Covid19 is coming and going unknowingly to many of our people. 40 percent of people would not be aware of the fact that they have Covid. But when they were tested and found positive, they become not only the victims of Covid but also of a social tragedy. A stigma is attached to those who are sick, or suspected to be sick, as well as to those who tend to them.

Also Read- what-to-do-when-corona-climbs-mt-Everest

There is a need to change the mind-set of the people. We need to understand how much suffering this crisis causes to the patients and their loved ones. People with this disease should not be discriminated. In the ancient times, only lepers were secluded to a great extent for fear, of contracting the sickness or becoming ritually impure through any contact with them. But Jesus Christ touched the lepers and healed them, according to the scriptures. What is the attitude of people towards Covid positive patients in this modern world? Unfortunately, people treat them as if they have committed a major crime when they are infected with the coronavirus.

Human relationships are to be maintained in all situations. Social distance does not mean not helping each other. In fact, what is meant by social distancing is physical distancing. Unfortunately, the word social distance is often misunderstood. The so called social distance should be understood as keeping at least two meters physical distance between persons. Do not misunderstand it.  Human beings are social beings. They have to treat one another with respect, empathy and love in all situations!

Also read-Stay positive in negative situation

No one can live without social connections in life. Our vision and focus of life should be for all and for one another. Otherwise there is no point in saying that we are cultured or social beings. Even a herd of animals will always try to save a suffering animal. On the contrary, human beings are becoming indifferent to other human beings. Are we not better than other animals?

Today there is a tendency to exploit the Covid situation by greedy people. It seems to give them some sort of power to control the life of others through various means. Unethical business dealings are some of them. Hoarding of essential goods or selling things including life-saving medicines at a higher price to people who struggle to survive is one of them.  Public systems need to be put in place to protect the people from such exploitation and price rise. Let us take a pledge to fight against the stigma of COVID-19.

    

Gandhian values help keep up scale of human values

 

PC THOMAS

Once, a little girl saw an old man walking through the street. He was very lean, bald and had worn only a dhoti. The Old man had worn no shirt.  A mischievous little girl noticed him and shouted “Shame, Shame”. The old man stopped walking.  He looked at the little girl and smiled lavishly.  With the smile fresh in his lips, the old man asked “Why did you call ‘shame’ my child”? The girl replied. “Why didn’t you wear a shirt granddaddy? That is why I called shame.  The old man replied.  “I don’t have shirt my child”.

The girl felt sad about the old man and offered her help: “Granddaddy I shall buy a shirt for you, there is money in my little box”.  Looking to the innocence of the little girl, he said. “No my child, I don’t want to wear shirt at present”. You know in our country there are large number of poor people who don’t have money to buy even shirts. I shall wear shirt only after all people in the country are in a position to buy shirts”.  The girl was stunned and asked the man. ‘Who are you granddaddy!’?  And he replied “I am Gandhiji”.

What was the unique philosophy of Gandhiji about his life-style with the example of his personal life?  The western educated lawyer Gandhiji was never western in dress, food habits or style, but he was half-naked, wearing only a single white dhoti and a shawl and very simple chappals practicing simple living and high thinking to our society.

Mahatma Gandhi became the greatest son of India with his struggle for freedom.  He fought violence with non-violence.  The man who will be remembered for ages to come, is the Father of Nation, whose birthday is celebrated all over India on 2^nd October.  This day is also celebrated as a Dry Day, which means prohibition from alcohol.  It would be worthwhile to quote Mahatma Gandhi, “I would rather have India reduced to a state of pauperism than have thousands of drunkards in our midst.”  Gandhi’s philosophy was to get freedom from alcohol.

Gandhiji devoted his life to the teaching of love, non-violence and truth.  He was as great as Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha and Guru Nanak who changed the course of human history by their teaching.  The principal love and sacrifice he took from the life of Jesus Christ.  Similarly he adopted the theory of Karma Yoga from Gita.  He has his firm belief in the existence of God.  He stressed ones of all religions. He sacrificed his life in the altar of communal harmony and human brotherhood.

Mahatma Gandhi's idea of cleanliness and Gram Swaraj can be interpreted and respected in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. He used to say that India's soul lives in its villages. He considered villages to be the basic units of social organization. For that reason, the villages should be self-sufficient in the matters of their vital requirements.

Mahatma Gandhi always emphasized cleanliness and sanitation. It is in the current pandemic that health experts stressed “Sanitation,” Gandhiji had once said, “sanitation is more important than independence”. Cleaning of the soul was the ultimate goal of any human being. He spent his whole life in the act of cleaning the self and soul, and he did this by applying his self to public and social services.

We need to pay more heed to the basic principles of Gandhian philosophy in order to keep up the scale of human values. In the current pandemic situation, helping others can help you cope with yourself.  The only salvation for the world lies in heeding Mahatma Gandhi’s message and following his footsteps.