Psychology and People: Then and Now
Has someone said that they’re ‘depressed’ because a party got canceled? Or maybe because they ran out of their favorite food? Have you ever seen ‘depression’ and other mental illness terms being used with their under-rated meanings? Did you ever get a hint that it is wrong to throw around psychological terms in trivial conversations? This wasn’t always the case though, ancient times always had a huge value for mental illness and psychology.
Psychology means the study of human behavior. It is an integral part of a person’s well-being, yet is seldom acknowledged nowadays. Indian psychology was derived based on ideas that evolved down the line. Ancient Upanishads have labeled human behavior with the word ‘Guna’. It is said that the human body is made up of Rajas, Tamas, and Sattva Guna, which represent aggressive and strong self-esteem, calm and understanding, and idle and sluggish behaviors respectively. It mainly describes values, human personality, spirituality, and applications such as yoga and meditation. It was dependent on the primary reality that we are conscious of the Almighty. Most of it was based on knowing one’s self on the inner side.
The only thing that never changes is that everything changes so does the status of Psychology in India. Due to the changes in the educational system, Engineering and Medical Sciences have been more prioritized making studies of Psychology and other Human Sciences side stream preferences, which made Mental health an alien concept. Due to lesser importance given to psychology, the students pursuing it were being looked down upon and these subjects were buried and pushed to the sidelines, which further flattened the curve of people being aware and concerned about mental health. As a result, mental illnesses are stigmatized and are not given the importance they deserve, contrary to physical illnesses.
Socializing is tough these days, misinformation has made it worse, and people can’t share issues with their own family and friends because of the false myths developed around mental illnesses. People have lost touch with their emotions which makes them judgmental and less empathetic resulting in invalidation of others and their mental struggles. “Depression” is used as a synonym for being “just sad”. Terms related to mental illnesses are being used unaware of their depth, just to mean something trivial.
A large number of children are emotionally distant from their parents. Perspective varies from person to person and anyone lacking empathy expects people around to match their perspective. Children are emotionally distressed when they are invalidated on every single thing. Many Indian parents enforce their perspective on their kids in terms of career, attire, behavior, and life choices. Psychology back in the day was seen as a very important aspect of life to study human behavior and was socially given importance. Societal judgment and the pressure to live up to them have been posed as a compulsion to the children, which psychology diminishes. It subconsciously affects their socializing skills which leaves a long-term impact on them resulting in growing up to be mentally unhealthy.
Anything that exists in a societal setup develops its own set of myths around itself, the story is no different in this scenario. Myths around mental illnesses and psychology have impacted how people perceive them. “Privileged people do not face mental issues”, “People who are mentally unstable are violent and cannot carry simple tasks”, “Just being positive can cure mental illness”, “People are solely responsible for their mental illness”, “Someone with mental illness is never in a good mood”, “Seeking therapy is unnecessary and can be just cured with random motivational quotes”. All these myths hold a person back from seeking the help they need. Invalidating someone’s state of mind might push a person into a downward spiral. This is due to the reality that people perceive mental illnesses as a mere ‘phase’ or ‘a state of mind’, not being aware of the fact that the biology of the human brain is involved.
Approach to a certain problem depends on time, the problem, and the situation a person is facing, not every mental illness has the same solution. Using the same strategy applied by someone can’t solve your problems but also at times can worsen your state. “Every lock has its key, so choose the key wisely”. Not all problems can be solved alone and busting the myth that “Seeking therapy is not necessary” one should always get help without any hesitation. Getting help need not be just getting therapy, depending on the problem emotional support from family and friends can have more impact on getting better. Also, kids nowadays should speak up to their parents about their problems. Parents need to empathize with issues faced by kids and provide the support they deserve. Also, they should heal themselves from mental illness and see that their kids never face one. One should try being as optimistic as possible, but also be cautious that it doesn’t transit to toxic positivity. Every emotion, be it positive or negative, is a part of being human. Acknowledging and accepting the fact that what a person is feeling is ‘negative’, in itself is a positive thing.
It’s high time that we acknowledge that it’s okay to have problems. The best part comes when you realize that you’re not alone in what you’re going through and have people around you destigmatize, discuss it openly and help you deal with it in the healthiest way possible!
~ Meghana and Rohit
