Why Is Mental Health Awareness Important?

Mental health includes our psychological, emotional, and social well-being. And since it includes the way we act, think, and feel, it causes disturbances in the way we think, act, behave, our emotions, or energy that make it difficult to cope up with ordinary life. Mental health is very important and we need to pay attention to it since it not only has psychological effects but physiological effects too. But mental health issues are not treated as a physical illness and are mostly ignored or paid less attention to and this ignorance brings dangerous consequences. Physical and mental illness are equally important and they go hand in hand, one can affect the other. Mental issues such as depression can increase the risk of some chronic illnesses like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and similarly, the presence of any chronic diseases can increase the risk of mental illness too. Mental health problems are a common health issue today affecting a large number of the population that needs immediate attention.

Data says that 1 in 7 children in India is facing mental health issues that require medical help.

Mental health issues like ADHD, Bipolar disorders, depressions, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, etc are common mental illnesses. Since the outbreak of Covid, mental health issues have increased and research says 14% of the Indian population suffers from mental health ailments. Despite a huge population suffering from mental health problems, people hesitate to openly talk about it. So it is important to speak up and spread mental health awareness.