Be like Bipasha Basu this World Mental Health Day: Support people with psychological challenges the right way

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Bipasha Basu took to Instagram to pledge her support for mental health patients. You can do your bit too but beware of some mistakes that you may unwittingly make in your effort to do good.

By: Paras Hemrajani | | Updated: October 10, 2019 5:55 pm

Treating mental health condition is a complex process. Therapy, medication and self-care are all part of the recovery process. ©Shutterstock

Yesterday, on the eve of World Mental Health Day, ‘Housefull’ star Bipasha Basu posted a photo on her Instagram page. In the picture, she is seen wearing a grey ribbon to show solidarity with people who are suffering from mental illness. Along with the photo, she added a long caption stating how India has a huge number of people suffering from different mental disorders and why mental health is still neglected in the country. She wrote about the need for spreading awareness about mental health conditions. She also mentioned Aman Iqbal, founder of the #IAMHEREFORYOU initiative, who is working towards providing medicine as well as psychological and social help to mentally disturbed patients. We are proud of Bipasha Basu for supporting the fight against mental illness and hope that the impact of her initiative is as big as her intentions.

Very often, people go wrong when they try to help patients suffering from mental disorders. They may end up doing more damage than good despite their best intentions.

MISTAKES TO AVOID

Your intention is important, but not as important as the impact. Without the right impact, your intention will go to waste. We say this because not every intention helps mentally disturbed people. Before you start helping a person with any mental condition, you must first understand what the person is going through. Then you must think of ways to make things better for him or her. You must be careful while doing this because even simple mistakes while trying to help may make things worse.

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, let us look at some common mistakes a person can make while trying to help a mentally disturbed person.

Giving uninformed medical advice

Treating mental health condition is a complex process. Therapy, medication and self-care are all part of the recovery process. False or uninformed advice regarding the treatment method can make the recovery process slow. Just because a specific medicine or method worked or works for you doesn’t mean that it would work for another person too.

The right move: So, it is best to advise them to consult a professional who will be able to guide them better.

Talking to them about suicide

According to a study by the Time in 2018, exposure to suicide, either directly or through the media and entertainment, increases the risk of developing suicidal thoughts.

The right move: While trying to understand the mental condition of an individual, do not constantly ask them if he/she is feeling suicidal. Instead, look for signs like changes in sleep pattern, loss of appetite, changes in energy level, lack of concentration and daily behaviour.

Making promises you can’t keep

When you make a promise to help a mentally ill person overcome his or her condition, you make that person rely on you. If you break that promise, the person will feel betrayed and depressed. This may further damage his/her mental condition.

The right move: It is important to show support but limit yourself to promising things that you can do. The idea of support is to help them stand on their feet. If you promise to do everything for them, it will only make them dependant on you.

Published : October 10, 2019 5:49 pm | Updated:October 10, 2019 5:55 pm

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