Mental health is an extremely sensitive, yet a very stigmatized and taboo topic in our society. The gravity of this topic can only be felt by the people who have actually experienced it at some point in their lives. Giving unpleasant tags, mocking, or ridiculing a mentally-ill person could be exponentially distressing for them. It is harmful to people who are already suffering from issues related to their mental health, and who also have to put up with the kind of nasty environment society creates for them. Unlike a physiological illness or problem, this is something that might not be explicitly visible to the naked eye. Thus, getting these issues to the surface is the need of the hour.
Due to societal norms, the word 'sane' is wrongly used in the context of people suffering from mental illnesses. It becomes an unbreakable shackle in the sufferers’ minds, which prevents them from expressing what they are going through and from seeking a solution to the problem in the form of counselling or therapy. It is time to uncover the taboo topics in our society, and to build a happy and positive environment for those who face mental health issues. To represent this side of our society, the poem below tells us the plight of a person going through a very dark period in his life in the form of a mental health-related issue.
Hear me out, I’m in pain,
not physical, but mental.
Clenched fists with recurrent fits,
a symptom that’s clinical,
apparently, more mythical.
In a society which carries
stereotypical people,
who’s going to step forward and
break the folk of folks to whom
it is all merely a hoax?
Stop denying the need for help,
because it might be the need of the hour.
To a sufferer who dwelt, days sucked
into a whirlpool.
A whirlpool of whims and bewilderment,
people who turn their backs and act all sceptical.
“I’m tired of being shunned and shut,”
said the inner voice, lamenting.
Let’s unify and let them uncover
the true self by seeking mental help
for maintaining mental health.
- Anisha Gupta
B.A. Program
Second Year
[Art Curated by Anshika Srivastava
Edited by Guniya Sharma]
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