The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us, irrespective of our class, gender and profession. While some of us are worried about financial security, others are finding it difficult to deal with isolation and uncertainty of life.
It won’t be wrong to say that mental illnesses are an increasingly prevalent part of the new normal.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the talk around mental health is gaining momentum everywhere – popular advice being – seek help.
Now here’s where it gets a little tricky, because taking help from a therapist isn’t that easy as it seems to others advocating it. It brings with it several financial, physical and mental challenges as rightly pointed out by a Twitter user, Karnika Kohli.
Recently, Karnika shared her experience of dealing with mental health issues, so that everyone out there knows what it is like.
She starts by saying that she is a privileged woman who was able to afford mental health services in India. This is important because we may normally not realise how expensive seeking right therapy could be.
Been in therapy for 1 year and 11 months, she lists out the challenges one could face while seeking help.
Just when we think we can overcome all of this, she gets to the most important aspect of seeking therapy – money.
This is huge. For a country that is still learning how to talk about mental health, spending lakhs of rupees on therapy is something that is still far from feasible.
That’s not the end. There’s more to it. Karnika goes on to explain how her anxiety gave birth to insomnia and loss of appetite. For someone who loved cooking and eating, just the thought of food made her nauseous.
So she decided to go to a General Physician who in turn suggested her to consult a psychiatrist, which again ‘costs’ a lot.
Through this thread, she wants to bring to fore the reality of healthcare system in India, especially when it comes to mental health. In a country where 7.5% of the population is affected by mental health issues, this is really important. Moreover, reports suggest that there are just 4,000 experts all over the country.
Now we know how difficult it can be to find the right therapist and also the one we can afford.
The moral of the story being – We need a better healthcare system, now.
At a time when most of us are affected in one way or the other, it assumes importance that we make ourselves available for those who need us.
Let’s start by normalising talks about mental health.