In the present world it is getting harder to take a time out to reflect and consider a psychological well being as an important part of the health. In the same vein, the required care cannot be provided to a mental health of the society where most of the people are worried about the survival. The constant apprehension regarding food, security and shelter has overwhelmed the human mind with emotions (rage and frustration) depriving them of reason.
We all know that this age in which we are living is a world, where the facts and the false figures are mixed together in a way that confuses the observer. Amidst this turmoil, hassle and the struggle of survival, one feels it hard to disentangle him or herself from the shackles of routines and rampant digitalization of life.
The outrageous networking, connectivity and information load have depleted the human’s ability of delaying gratification.
We share the system where by pressing a button or touching a screen we can get what we want from any part of a world. This attribute itself facilitates the impulsivity phenomena and diminishes the capacity of bearing boredom and speculation on one side; and affecting attention and concentration on the other side. At this moment, when self-awareness and purpose is fading from human consciousness and reason is getting replaced with emotionality (secondary to fear and apprehension), it becomes quite difficult to de-stigmatize the established attitudes, and understanding regarding the mental illness.
Mental illness is a sensitive area where families and loves ones out of ignorance (also due to lack of experience) feel shame and guilt. This attitude further enhances the impact of stigma. The widely acceptable prejudiced notions regarding mental illnesses and its nature destabilize the sufferers’ life along with the related family circle(s). The stigma factors (thoughts, gesture, and attitude towards mental illness) influence disease outcome, course, persons’ functionality, quality of life, stability and a risk of having the illness in future.
Camouflaging the illness and poor awareness regarding it, both of these factors persuade them to seek primary care from quacks and imposters.
The wastage of resources and money frustrates them further. The stigma effect corners the patient and cultivates the air of silence where patient finds it easier to retract back into isolation than to bring up the concerned issue to others for consideration. It wastes initial time period of a patient’s life where he can be brought for the psychiatric consultation. The extensive literature review highlights the area called as the “duration of untreated psychosis (DUP)”. It tells about the duration of illness where treatment was not provided and brewing period of symptoms damages the human brain at molecular, physiological and behavioral level. It defines the prognosis and future outcome of an illness; the greater the DUP, poorer the outcome and vice versa.
The general consideration of the psychiatric consultation as a last resort or option results in longer DUP parallel with the lots of expectations on behalf of family and emphasis on rapid recovery makes the simple and resoluble cases as challenging one. It leads to extensive loss of functionality and increases the disease and care burden of the society.
Through the extensive themes of education, the mental health importance and the significance of healthy lifestyle modifications can be emphasized.
The culture of positive behaviors and thoughts can be encouraged by highlighting its beneficial effects on the human body. The sole focus to highlight the “disease understanding” without the possible, accessible and available resources have catastrophizing consequences. It is like enabling people to be mindful of their problems without offering them a solution.
The need of supportive behaviors and understanding of an illness reduce the effect of stigma and help in maintaining activities of daily living. Thus, it is incumbent on every psychiatrist not only to involve family into the psycho-educational programs regarding mental health. It would definitely need an extra mile of effort, time and dedication to propagate the understanding of the mental illness through various means; simplifying the messages can also proliferate the understanding. Different kind of mediums can be used for making the information accessible by evading the taboo of the early psychiatric consultation.
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