Psychiatrist urges public: Reach out for help when in mental distress
When you’re feeling overly stressed out or unable to handle life’s challenges, it is important that you speak out and reach out for help, advises psychiatrist Dr Varma Deyalsingh.
Speaking on today’s edition of CNC3’s The Morning Brew show, Dr Deyalsingh lamented the fact that there is still a taboo associated with mental health issues.
He maintains, however, that mental illness is not a weakness and should be treated as any other disease.
“Mental health itself has its own stigma,” he observed. “So, once you have that stigma still existing out there, suicide and suicide talk and admitting that somebody has that ideation—or a relative has that ideation—you may find persons fearing to come forward to say they have this problem. [This is because] society has portrayed it that mental illness might be a ‘weakness’ rather than a biochemical change. So, it is still challenging.”
According to the renowned psychiatrist, when a life is lost due to mental illness, there can be far reaching effects for family and friends.
“There is something we call ‘The Suicide Contagion’,” he explained. “So, if someone harms themselves by suicide, the [ones left behind] think about it and may also decide this is the way out.”
“[That is why] we have to reach out, and any unfortunate instances that happen, we have to try and educate people that there is help,” he points out. “There is help in the psychiatric clinics. There is online help.”
He stressed that the relatives of those who have mental health issues must be empowered and can even become champions for the cause of mental wellness.
“This is where we educate the relatives now. If we can champion them to come onboard, to feel useful to help us with our talks about helping others and telling persons seek [mental health] help in the clinics that we have. That help is free,” he added.
Dr Deyalsingh is urging members of the public to be alert to their own mental health and that of those close to them.
He says if you or someone you know is experiencing psychological challenges, help can be found by calling the mental health support hotline, 1-800-HOPE.
The post Psychiatrist urges public: Reach out for help when in mental distress first appeared on CNC3.