The indoor coffee shop at Amethyst, a café on Whites Road, was nearly full around 5 p.m. on Saturday, as over 50 people gathered there to discuss mental health issues.
The first Mental Health Café, an initiative by the Schizophrenia Research Foundation, got off to a start with dancer Anita Ratnam speaking about the challenges of being the only one in a family of professionals and business people to go into a creative filed. “It was silent struggle that I had to face by myself. There were many points when I would have bouts of melancholia and be plagued by doubts and fears. I have also been a single parent for 27 years. But I have always found that talking to friends and reaching out helps,” she said. Issues such as discrimination in hiring of those who have had mental illnesses, the lack of insurance coverage for these illnesses, elderly parents wondering about the future of a child with an illness and many others were brought to the fore by participants, among whom were families, medical professionals and some who had recovered from illnesses.
Do you or do you not disclose to an employer that you have previously had a mental illness? “If you do, it is difficult to get a job. And even if you do get a job, people are always looking out for the smallest of differences in behaviour and then spreading rumours,” one participant said.
“I am 65 and my wife is undergoing treatment for cancer. My younger son is willing to look after my older one who is mentally ill but he is due to get married. Will his future wife like it? What happens when he has to put the needs of his own family first,” another participant asked.
The increasing amount of stress young people face from school onwards, the pressures of college and the workplace and the addiction to online gaming were also brought up by some participants. But more than anything, the continued stigma when it comes to seeking help was discussed. One young participant related how badly her seeking professional help for issues in her marriage became a huge issue for her in-laws.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Uma Ram said she saw an increasing number of young women on anti-depressants but this had to be dealt with carefully because of the in-laws.
The need for more professional mental health workers, for programmes and services in schools and colleges and perhaps a petition to get insurance companies to include mental illnesses in their coverage were also discussed.
One big question was: how do people know when to offer help? Or how does an individual know when to seek it?
