Anuradha Varanasi
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Written By: Anuradha Varanasi | Published : October 4, 2016 6:33 PM IST
Even if you don t read the newspapers every day, everyone in India is aware of the recent surgical strikes across the Line of Control in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Following that, the public and several leaders in India supported the strikes as a justified response due to the Uri attack that took place in the troubled state on September 18, 2016 which claimed the lives of 18 jawans.
For the last several weeks, many people have taken to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to voice their anger and opinions towards Pakistan-based terrorism. More recently, the issue of the ban on Pakistani actors in India has been trending on both of these popular social media platforms, and there have been endless debates and controversial statements being made by famous personalities.
However, with so many strong opinions being voiced on the sensitive topic of India-Pakistan relations and terrorism, the main question is how are all these debates and discussions taking place both online and offline taking a toll on one s mental and emotional well-being?
We spoke to mental Dr Parul Tank, Consultant Psychiatrist and Therapist at Mumbai's Fortis Hospital and Nimai Healthcare to find out. I recently had a patient who expressed that after following the news and debates about these issues, he was affected by it because of how enraged he felt. He complained about anger outbursts, and it became a source of anxiety and stress for him.
However, this national preoccupation with these issues won t have much effect on those who are not mentally unstable. Individuals who are prone or vulnerable to mental illnesses can start to have paranoid reactions and all this talk about terrorism could act as a trigger, adds Dr Tank. Read: How mental illnesses are ignored in India.
Agreeing with Dr Tank, Dr Sushma Mehrotra, a Clinical Psychologist, says that all this talk about Pakistan won t have a toll or lead to any mental health issues. When these issues are being discussed on the news and social media constantly, from a psychological perspective, this is how the public forms opinions and then their attitudes are built.
For example, if you like and admire any actor, someone might think they shouldn t because he is Pakistani. These extreme opinions and attitudes are not good, adds Dr Mehrotra.
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