Mental Health refers to the cognitive, behavioral and emotional well-being of a human. Health, may it be physical health or mental health should be treated equally concerning gender. Surprisingly, gender is the domain where discrimination takes place in terms of mental health. Let’s explore it in terms of both genders.
Men and Mental Health
Men in India, for a very long time, were considered the head of the family. The patriarchy that prevailed in India put men on a very high pedestal. They were the sole income earners and were expected to provide food and shelter for the whole family. But that is not the scenario that prevails now. Women work along with men, but still, a man is expected to fulfill the expectations of his family.
In our society, men are conditioned from a very early age. As a child, he is told “Men don’t cry” or are mocked for being a girl because only girls cry. The advertisement by Vogue Empower against domestic violence portrays the exact scenario of an Indian household where boys of a very small age are scolded for expressing their emotions. Every time a man tries to indicate concerns regarding his mental health, his masculinity is questioned and he is told to “man up” or “deal with your problems like a man”. The stigma around men and their mental health has developed due to the high pedestal that our society puts them on. The need to conform to these social norms created by society has increased the mental health issues in men.
The conditioning of men at an early age and the stigma that surrounds the mental health of men has made it very difficult for this gender to come out and seek help. Their pain is invalidated too often that they have learned to not confront it. Confronting mental health is associated with shame. They suffer in silence because they are too ashamed of feeling what they are feeling. More than 70% of callers to India’s mental health helpline, KIRAN, have been men indicating a higher level of distress among men. This research further suggested that the stigma around the mental health of men is the reason why they refuse to admit the presence of mental illness. Toxic ideas of masculinity and the unrealistic norms and standards set by society further contribute to the mental health disorders among them.
Women and Mental Health
Women have been the most oppressed in our country from the very beginning. They were confined to the four walls of their kitchen and were expected to care for their family. They were labeled as the “weak gender” who needs to be protected and is incapable of being independent. India believes in the notion of a joint family system where a woman is expected to take care of her children, husband, and her in-laws all while getting nothing in return. The domestic chores that a woman does are not valued by most of the families because this is what she signed up for when she marries and this is her duty. Selflessly, she has to work all day long while sacrificing her dreams and aspirations.
Research suggests that at least 25% of women suffer from depression and anxiety. They are forced not to ask for help because of the lack of support from their families, more specifically their husbands and in-laws. Hormonal changes in women make them more prone to depression and the circumstances that they live in further adds up to mental health disorders.
Women are made to adjust since the day they are born and are objectified so often that affects their mental health in the worst way possible. They are treated as the property of a man to whom she is born and later of whom she will be married. The social circumstances of a woman push her into the deep well of mental illness.
Non-binary Gender and Mental Health
Non- binary and genderqueer are people who do not identify with the gender binary system (male/female) of the society. India, a country where the people abide by the predetermined rules of the society, the mental health of people who identify as NBGC can take a serious toll. People under this umbrella are not only looked down upon but also systematically discriminated. In a democratic country where everyone is allowed to be who they are, why do we still question one's identity? The constant taunts, the stares, the stigmas attached to this and the discrimination against NBGC's dismantle their mental health to the point that they start to question if they are wrong, for just being who they are.
How to bring equality in terms of Mental Health?
There are various ways in which we can bring equality in terms of mental health. Let’s explore some of them in this article:
Raising awareness
There is an urgent need to raise awareness about mental health exclusively in terms of gender. Each gender faces discrimination that needs to be addressed exclusively. This can be done through movies and short films portraying the same issue. We can also raise awareness through newspapers and magazines.
Initiatives by government
The equality act 2010 protects you from discrimination and applies the mental health domain as well. If the government ensures the proper applicability of this law, discrimination can be reduced to a great extent.
Social Media
Social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Facebook are very popular among most of the population in India. Using these platforms to bring in change can be a very successful move toward equality in terms of mental health.
Takeaway Message
India is going through a pandemic due to the covid-19 on one side, and the epidemic due to the poor mental health of its population, on the other side. The poor mental health is due to the discrimination that is faced by each gender daily in one form or the other. The stigma has also a big role in the decline of mental health in our country. Glenn Close rightly said that “What mental health needs are more sunlight, more condor and more unashamed conversations”. This is the only way by which we can put an end to the ongoing epidemic in India.
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