Higher expectations and lower level of satisfaction are increasingly undermining people’s mental health in the age of Internet and social media. As the World Mental Health Day was celebrated on Tuesday, psychiatric consultant Anees Ali, who works among Keralites in the State and the Arabian Gulf, expressed concern at the rise in mood disorders of people owing to disappointments from high expectations.
“High expectations in tune with wider exposure to the social media are becoming a bane of our society, where people have started to measure everything, including gifts, from price value. Inner values are getting increasingly relegated to the margin,” said Dr. Anees, pointing out innumerable examples of mental tensions in marriages and other social relationships.
He said the demanding nature of parents, often based on misconceptions, was wreaking havoc not only among students, but among teachers as well. “We see parents demanding explanations from teachers for the lost marks of their children. And those parents who never cease comparing their children fail to understand that the real problem lies with them,” he said.
Dr. Anees said that only the tough-minded had pulled through the COVID-19 pandemic without any mental issues. “Many have suffered, particularly those who are introverts,” he said, pointing to the increased mood disorders that psychiatrists are handling the world over in the post-COVID-19 days.
According to Dr. Anees, society has a larger and more significant role to play in upholding mental health as a basic human right. “That is exactly why this year’s mental health day is celebrated with the theme ‘Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’. Mental health is a basic human right of every individual,” he said.
‘Illness not a disgrace’
“Illness, no matter in the body or the mind, is a natural thing. Most psychological problems can be solved with a little care and counselling. When told to take a medicine for ill health of the body, everyone will absorb and follow it. But a doctor’s advice to take a drug for mental health often doesn’t get the same response,” he said, calling for a change in perception about medicines in mental health.
According to Dr. Anees, social discrimination is the biggest pain suffered by the mentally challenged. “A mentally ill person faces discrimination that a physically ill person does not. This is a violation of human rights,” he said.
He said that inflated myths about the side effects of psychiatric drugs are also affecting society’s perspectives on mental health. “A healthy mind is everyone’s human right. Our gatherings, workplaces and public forums and functions should all be mental health friendly. Only then we will become a civilized society,” he said.
