Decoding mental health, overcoming stigma, changing mindsets among elderly–our top social stories of the week

October 10 is commemorated as World Mental Health Day every year. This year, SocialStory did a deep dive into diverse aspects of mental health.

We explored in length topics such as access and affordability, decolonising mental health, and the attitude of middle-aged and senior adults towards mental health concerns. Here’s more on what we delved into.

Never too old for therapy

Dr Neerja Aggarwal, Co-founder and Psychologist at Emoneeds, a mental health startup, says senior citizens often grapple with various mental health challenges, encompassing depression, anxiety disorders, and dementia. Depression may also emerge from factors like social isolation, physical health struggles, or the bereavement of loved ones, significantly influencing their general welfare and quality of life.

Ritika Bhutani, Lead Clinical Psychologist and Supervisor at LISSUN, believes there is a lack of insight and understanding about mental health issues, particularly among older adults since they have been mostly exposed to the medical model of illness.

Neeraj*, a media professional from Bengaluru, admits that being aware that something is wrong does not necessarily translate into action. It took him many years to seek therapy. He looked for therapists on his own, and a friend also shared a list. But somehow, he has not been able to stick to one because of various reasons.

Decolonising therapy

The colonial understanding of any relationship—filial or intimate—as a fairly transactional equation built on agency is born in privilege, where Western therapy-inspired concepts such as ‘red flags’ and ‘boundaries’ have been built into the discourse. However, in a country where oppression has and continues to defend deep-rooted social, cultural and economic polarities, these concepts do little to resolve long-standing generational trauma, believe new-age mental health professionals.

Simply put, decolonising mental health translates to developing nuanced interventions that work in and for societies that have a history of colonisation and racism, and where oppression often plays a role in indigenous, black and brown people’s mental health. 

Overcoming challenges of cost and stigma

SocialStory’s enquiries with half a dozen professionals and people undergoing therapy revealed that, in major Indian cities, the average cost per hour for a counselling session or psychiatric consultation is around ₹1,500. It even soars to as high as ₹2,000-₹4,000 in some cases. For many, the high cost of mental healthcare is a big deterrent to seeking support.

It’s not therapy alone that’s expensive; the charges for those requiring hospitalisation due to mental illness are also exorbitant.

The need of the hour is destigmatising mental health issues by promoting open conversations and awareness and bringing down the cost of mental health services. Catering to a large population with limited mental health resources is a big challenge and it calls for innovative approaches like group therapy and teletherapy.

Where inclusion is a way of life

At Shradhanjali Integrated School (SIS), run by the Association for People with Disability in Lingarajapuram, Bengaluru, inclusion is not just a buzzword but a norm.

But the school was certainly an exception when it opened its doors to both special and able-bodied children 50 years ago.

SIS has 310 children, 80% of whom have varying disabilities that comprise locomotor, visual, hearing, speech, intellectual, and multiple disabilities. These include children with cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome, autism, muscular dystrophy, and others, except those with total blindness.

Most of the children come from disadvantaged communities in modified school buses with hydraulic lifts with special staff to look after them. Those who need wheelchairs use one at home and one at school.

In other good news …

Pushing limits

Sixteen-year-old Haresh Barath Mohan from Chennai swam the 32-km Palk Strait from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Rameshwaram last Sunday. This is no mean feat considering that Mohan is on the autism spectrum.

A report in the Times of India says the teenager achieved this feat in 11 hours and 52 minutes, taking only short breaks to hydrate himself. He is the second child with autism to cross the Palk Strait after 13-year-old Jiya Rai from Mumbai swam the same stretch last year.

Mohan was diagnosed with autism when he was one-and-half years old.