Mental health awareness is important

How do you sustain a healthy mind?

The head, heart and feet model emphasises the importance of cultivating a healthy mind, for all we do stem from the head. However, the model recognises the close relationship between the head (why, what, knowledge, thoughts, reason and intellect) and the heart (motivation, feelings, emotions and reflections) as well as how the two consequently influence our actions and behaviour.

What is clear is that for authentic meaning and engagement to happen in our relational lives, we have to contextualise our worldviews and experiences while remaining sensitive to the context and awareness of others, as our thoughts influence our emotions/feelings – and the two consequently influence how we behave.

During May, we are reminded and given an opportunity to take stock of our mental health. Now more than ever, we need to consciously practise mental health awareness, as oftentimes, childhood trauma, rooted in rejection, betrayal, injustice, abandonment or neglect, affects our lives as adults, especially if the wound never healed.

Remaining strongly aware of this for self and others is an important step to take, as it has the potential to affect all areas and relationships in our lives, school and work performance, relationship with family and friends as well as our ability to participate as active civic agents in the broader society.

According to the World Health Organisation, depression remains one of the leading causes of disability, and suicide remains the fourth leading cause of death amongst 15-29 year-olds. As the world continues to accelerate, the implementation of the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030 and during the seventyfourth World Health Assembly held in 2021, the plan was improved.

However, what remained unchanged were the four main objectives. The first – if not the most important objective – is the one calling for effective leadership and governance for mental health. What also remains is the stigma associated with mental illness in many societies today.

As we consciously practice mental health awareness, I would like to share the following piece of writing by Dr Marketa Wills and Dr Carlin Barnes.

“What are the consequences of the stigma around mental illness?

Because of stigma, people are more likely to discuss physical health conditions, rather than mental health conditions with others. Similarly, they are also more assertive in seeking care for physical ailments than they are for mental health disorders.

Surveys show that the average time between the onset of mental health symptoms and the decision to seek care for mental health conditions can be a year or more. Making a difference in the lives of people suffering from mental illness becomes quite difficult when such a delay exists between symptoms and interventions.

As with physical health conditions, early diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions lead to better outcomes.

What can I do to help raise mental health awareness?

Each of us can play a part, whether big or small, in raising mental health awareness, and thereby decreasing stigma. The Mental Health Awareness month is a great time to take part in this cause by being an ambassador for mental health in one of the following ways:

• Be supportive to a friend or loved one who is struggling with a mental health condition.

• Help raise mental health awareness on social media by engaging with platforms that support mental health causes.

• Pay attention to your language. Avoid negative language (e.g. “she is bipolar”, “that’s schizo”, “they are crazy or psycho”).

• Learn about mental health. Listen to a TED talk or podcast on a mental health topic. Read a book or blog about mental health or self-help issues. These are great ways to not only learn about mental health but also to improve your mental well-being.”

* (Adapted from Psychology Today, 2021)