Top 8 significant reasons for neglecting mental health issues

Introduction

Reasons people neglect mental health issues

1. Ashamed to talk about it-
   If it is an issue concerning physical health, people reach out to seek help and treatment. The aim is to once again get back to their original fitness. When it comes to mental health issues, they are ashamed to talk about them. There is lots of discrimination in the society where people suffering from mental health issues are considered to be crazy. They are not well accepted. No one wants to be labelled or discriminated against. Thus, whenever any mental issue arrives, a person is forced to deal with it quietly by himself. He is ashamed of talking about it to everyone else. He also fears that disclosing the issue might exert some bad impact on his personal and professional life. So many fears and insecurity force a person to not openly address the mental health issues.


2. Fearful about mental health treatment-
   Many cannot discriminate between mental illness and craziness. Thus, many feel that one has to go to professional only if one is crazy and not otherwise. Craziness is dealt with some severe treatments such as electroshock therapy. Thus, many are scared to seek help as they feel their issues will also be addressed in the same manner. However, it is not true. The setting is relaxed. The treatment benefits many patients who show drastic improvements after repeated counselling sessions. Some are scared about the severity of treatments. Others are scared to bring out their issues and reveal them to a total stranger. The more complex the issue they are dealing with, the more difficult it becomes to share it with professionals. Also, a patient will always be fearful that his issue might get revealed to everyone in society.


3. Not aware of mental illness-
   Over the past decade, lots of awareness is been spread in this aspect but yet, it is not enough to let everybody come out of that stigma and seek some help. Lots of efforts need to be put into this aspect to enable people suffering from mental illness to confidently come out and seek help. Many feel that stress, anxiety, depression and other issues cannot be talked about openly. If they do, they will be displaying their weakness. For others, getting stressed out or suffering from signs of depression is normal and it is as good as living another day. They take everything lightly and address these issues as common and silly. A person dealing with any mental issue must first and foremost accept the fact that something is going on which is not right. When the person addresses the issue to himself, he can think about reaching out to others who are suffering from the same problems and also seek medical help.


4. Seeking treatment is difficult-
   Let's say a person has come out of his denial mode and knows that he is suffering from some mental health illness. He is interested to go out there and seek some help. Still, there are lots of barriers that will make it extremely difficult for him to seek treatment. It is not easy to find professionals who can deal with such issues, in particular, complex mental issues. One may find health clinics in every lane of our country but how many of them address mental issues. Even in a multispecialty hospital, one can rarely find a professional who can offer to help deal with mental health. One or two mental health clinics in some metro cities do not make it any easier for a person suffering from the mental issue living in a remote rural life to travel all those kilometres to seek some mental health treatment.


5. Treatment is expensive-
   The financial burden is just another barrier that makes treatment extremely difficult. We all know how expensive counselling sessions can be. Just one session is not going to get a person out of his illness. Repeated counselling and treatment is essential. If a person is not wealthy and does not have insurance to cover, it is extremely difficult to go for the treatment. Not everyone has insurance to cover. A mental health issue can affect a person at any age. Whether he is a young college student trying to decide a career, a middle-aged person trying to make a living and stay ahead of everyone or an old aged person who has had lots of experiences but feel lonely and lost at almost all the time. These issues can affect anyone and if a person does not have enough to pay for it, he is overburdening himself with the thought of financial inefficiency to cover for the treatment.


6. Feeling of helplessness-
   Many start believing that their condition is the outcome of their deeds. Their failures and setbacks take a toll on their mental health. They give up on the idea of starting from scratch and feel helpless all the time. This feeling of hopelessness stops them to address their mental issues. They feel that no one can help them and no treatment can bring back their original state of mind. This type of feeling act as a hindrance in reaching out to others for help and seek treatment for depression or other mental health issues. Some very strongly believe that reaching out for help will be a display of weakness. They do not want to feel that way. They do not want to show everyone their weakness or inadequacy and thus, they do not seek help.


7. Consider mental health and physical health as separate-
   How can mental health and physical health be separate from one another? The brain is a vital organ inside the body. Its well functioning is essential for overall good health and wellness. However, many prioritize physical health and do anything and everything to keep it in a sound state. When it comes to mental health, it is overlooked. Issues concerning it are not timely addressed and neglected. Every mental issue whether it is stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia or any other do affect physical health in many ways. Around 99% of the illnesses are caused by stress. A stress-free mind can thus keep the body healthy and lead a step towards overall health. Those who differentiate between physical health and mental health thereby keep themselves in denial mode and prevent themselves from seeking treatment.


8. Not aware that condition can worsen-
   Many feel that their mental illness is not that severe that requires any counselling or treatment. They feel they can easily sort it out if they spend some time dealing with it. Illness does not get solved on its own. It requires therapy. If it is left untreated, it may worsen and become unbearable. Early diagnosis will help prevent the condition from getting worse and is also easier to treat. The more unbearable the symptoms get and the illness turns into a complex one, treatment becomes difficult. Mental health issues should be taken seriously. Any symptom that is troubling the daily life and causing a hindrance in day to day activity should be brought to light without any hesitation in front of the therapist to seek proper care and treatment

Conclusion