Gravitas Plus: A silent Pandemic

hello and welcome to gravitas plus i'm palki sharma how are you you don't have to say you're fine it's absolutely fine to say you are not it's human to be not all right all the time it's essential that we talk about it we seek help when we break a bone why don't we do the same when our heart is broken we take sick leave to nurse our physical health why then is taking time off for mental health unprofessional we talk about conquering outer space but we are losing a battle with our minds it seems why is mental health a taboo it kills at least 800 000 people every year over 300 million people are suffering from depression that's almost equivalent to the entire population of the united states twice the population of russia there are more people suffering from depression today than the population of germany the uk france and italy combined over 260 million people are living with anxiety disorders there are people living with both mental health is a silent pandemic it is killing us and we can stop it the first step is to start a conversation and i'll be more than happy to start one so let's start over again hello and welcome to gravitas plus i'm palki sharma don't we all fancy celebrities their lives look as perfect as their pictures they have everything it seems what many of us can only aspire to have someday personal fitness coaches personal chefs shoppers hair and makeup artists personal shoppers personal stylists there is someone taking care of everything for them even their nails everything but mental health meghan markle recently spoke about her struggles with mental health about being depressed having suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy these are highly stigmatized topics but celebrities have started testing the waters they've triggered conversations from prime time television and newspaper headlines to dinner tables depression is becoming an issue people are talking about here's a very interesting research it shows that when a celebrity discloses his or her problem with mental health the number of people seeking mental health support goes up a celebrity disclosure serves three functions it educates people it inspires people it also serves as activism of sorts long before meghan markle another royal spoke about her personal struggles in public princess diana in 1993 she spoke about her battle with bulimia soon the number of women seeking treatment for bulimia doubled this phenomenon was called the dinah effect read this article here is another study it found that when singer demi lovato spoke about her bipolar disorder the people who had a higher celebrity attachment to her ended up having fewer negative stereotypes about those with bipolar disorder such is the influence of a celebrity such is their potential to bring about positive change i understand that mental health struggles are very personal the choice to disclose them all the more it comes with its own costs but i urge celebrities to talk about their mental health use their influence to inspire people to seek help tell them that depression anxiety is not a taboo i think we need to create an environment and a society that understands mental health in a better way we live highly stressful lives there are deadlines at work responsibilities at home fleeting relationships pressure to look a certain way on social media and all of this is bound to take a toll on our mental health and there's nothing wrong in suffering from anxiety or depression the problem begins when we hide it half of all mental illness begins at the age of 14. most cases go undetected or untreated the result is this suicide the leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds let's try to change this trend let's try to understand mental health so what is mental health it is our emotional health our thought patterns our mood mental health dictates our decisions and behavior just like physical health mental health also depends on certain factors number one are genes british scientists studied 839 families 971 pairs of siblings in these families had severe recurrent major depression they also had the chromosome 3p 25-26 now scientists believe around 40 percent of depression cases can be traced to a genetic link factor number two hormones there is a hormone called serotonin it is called the feel good chemical serotonin's role is to allow communication between brain neurons imbalance in serotonin has often been linked to depression factor number three life experiences psychologists at the university of liverpool say that traumatic life events are the biggest cause of anxiety and depression they study nearly 33 000 people before drawing this conclusion factor number four family history if a person grows around someone who is depressed he or she is more susceptible to depression factor number five gender this study found that women had a 42 chance of hereditary depression for men it is 29 but when it comes to men the stigma attached to seeking mental health hell is more this can be broken by male superstars like dwayne johnson you know the rock he opened up about his mental health in 2018 he said he was depressed after watching his mother attempt suicide you see this can happen to anyone irrespective of their age gender social standing here are some of the early signs of mental health problems eating too much or too little sleeping too much or too little distancing yourself from people or your usual activities feeling low on energy unexplained aches and pains feeling a sense of helplessness or hopelessness feeling on the edge all the time like you can break into tears any time or yell anytime extreme mood swings are also a sign of deteriorating mental health you may be hearing voices in your head having thoughts of harming yourself daily chores like going to work or dropping your children to school or taking care of them may start feeling too taxing there is nothing to be afraid of all you need to do is reach out seek help and i'll be honest the journey to help may not be all that easy there are three major hurdles in this battle to access mental health care the first hurdle is at home even today most families do not understand the idea of mental health depression is mistaken as moodiness introversion depression or anxiety is also seen as something that can be treated over a dinner or a vacation no family wants to have a member who is visiting a life coach meghan markle was stopped from accessing health care she says she was too royal for it in china more than 91 percent of the people with mental disorders never seek help for their condition there are many who want to but they cannot problem number two is lack of human resources we do not have enough specialists in this field in india for example there are only 0.3 psychiatrists per 100 000 people the desirable number is anything above three here's the next problem expenses today mental health care is a luxury in india an average session of counselling or therapy costs you up to forty one dollars that's around three thousand rupees the average cost per counseling session in the uk ranges from 55 to 85 dollars in japan between 74 and 138 dollars in the united states therapists charge up to 120 dollars per session in cities like new york or los angeles it jumps to 250 dollars per hour imagine paying 18 000 rupees for help mental wellness is a 121 billion dollar market it needs also to heal people mental health care can no longer be a luxury and you can help in making it accessible you know how by destigmatizing mental health a healthy mind helps not just the individual but the entire society estimates from the world health organization show that depression and anxiety cost the global economy a trillion dollars every year let me tell you how in lost productivity dear bosses take note do not judge an employee for taking a day off dear celebrities you won't be judged for talking about your struggles at least 20 percent of india suffers from mental health problems let's talk about it let's make mental health care accessible let's put an end to this silent pandemic [Music] you

Channel: WION

Views: 299,446

Keywords: mental health, mental health awareness, mental illness, mental health tips, coronavirus mental health, covid mental health, what is mental health, positive mental health, world mental health day, mental, emotional health, good mental health, mental health week, mental health covid, mental health hindi, mental health signs, youth mental health, metal health, mental health at work, mental health issues, gravitas plus, palki sharma, palki sharma upadhyay, wion

Id: jgcE85m3lgU

Length: 9min 15sec (555 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 14 2021