When people go through a mental angst, they are unable to determine what is going on. Most of them consult GPs, as they erroneously believe that something is wrong with their physical state
THE increasing rate of crime, suicide, heart attack and other physiological ailment force one to think what could be the reason? Likewise, various complex and incurable physiological ailments have sprouted up which were never heard of before. For many, they are just a result of their surroundings and the environment they are engulfed in.
Of the presence of these disorders there can be no doubt but most of the populace seem to be ignorant of them.
It is a fact that a majority of the population is suffering from some kind psychological disorder. The people are either unaware of their own mental state or do not know how to cope with it or seem to go blind when it comes to them.
Due to lack of awareness, when they go through any mental angst they are unable to determine what is going on with them. They sense the agony but cannot find a reason. In such confusion most of the people consult general physicians, as they erroneously believe that something is wrong with their physical state.
Even most of the physicians completely overlook the patients’ psychological state and focus on physiological diagnosis, for they believe that if the physiological symptom is cured, psychological ailments will go away itself. But unfortunately it is not true.
Psychological disorders need to be cured, just like physiological diseases. If mental illness remains unnoticed its roots get stronger, eventually appearing in a more atrocious form.
On the other hand people in our country seem to have strong belief in an old saying “ignorance is bliss”. They appear to live in a self fabricated euphoria assuming to be in perfect mental health.
Their euphoria is based on myths and illusions, which are hard to change and penetrate. Most of the times, it leads to rigidity and stubbornness.
You must have encountered hundreds of people around you, who want other people to get adjusted with their behaviour, attitudes and lifestyles, who force their desires and wishes on others.
In addition to this, the stigma attached to mental disorders also adds to the situation, making it worse to deal with. It restrains those people from seeking psychological help, who are aware of their mental state and willing to seek professional help.
Society also contributes a major part to kindle such communal abnormal behaviours, such as political and economic instability, conservative and orthodox norms, the suppressing of self-expression and ingenious creativity leads to collective depression and apathetic behaviour.
These psychological ailments not only cause harm to an individual, but disturb the whole milieu and severely affects the mental health and lives of people around.
Naseema is one such example, who fell victim to her psychopath husband and mother-in-law. They burnt her to death, just after six months of her marriage for she had not brought enough dowry with her.
She lived each day in utter misery as her in-laws kept torturing her mentally and physically. Her husband was not only aggressive but had some paranoid tendencies, which impeded his professional and marital life.
Her mother-in-law had found another ‘rich’ girl for his son, who was believed to bring a fortune and become a regular source of income.
Before Naseema went to the kitchen to cook food for her husband, her mother-in-law turned on the stove and let the kitchen fill with gas. As Naseema lit a matchstick a flame engulfed the kitchen, and the wicked mother-in-law kept watching her daughter-in-law dying.
Naseema is not the only one who is murdered by such psychopath killers. Each year several innocent girls lose their lives. This extreme form of brutality could be caused by a person suffering from a psychological ailment. But even such people can be treated to lead a happy life and do constructive work. All they need is a psychological aid to overcome their conflicts and complexes.
Similarly, another victim of psychological disorder was Ahmed, who committed suicide at the age of 28 because he could not find a proper and stable job.
Albeit he was an intelligent person who had an MBA degree from a prestigious institute and belonged to a mediocre family, but owing to his inconsistent nature, inability to cope with daily stress and aggression he was unable to find a stable and permanent job, which led him to a major depression.
As, he lost jobs one after the other, he began to believe that he lacked ability to perform anything at par and developed the feeling of insignificance.
He felt guilty of not supporting his family, which entrenched him so deeply that he felt ashamed of himself and could not face anyone.
These recurrent thoughts caused to loose a confidence he used to have. His social circle shrunk and during his last days he used to remain mostly at home.
His family believed that some evil spirit has captured him. They spent too much on the so-called spiritual gurus, but at last he committed suicide.
Aslam did not lack intelligence or abilities. What he lacked was the ability to cope with depression and few minor conflicts of his personality, which could have been overcome by psychotherapy.
Jehangir, 40, claims to be very religious. He is finicky about cleanliness and has developed a habit of taking bath after touching any other person or certain objects as he believes that he got dirty. He spends at least a half an hour to clean himself before and after eating anything.
This habit causes lot of troubles to him and others who are in immediate contact with him. Many a times he has been asked to consult a psychologist but he feels offended. He can be very easily treated, but he has chosen to live with it.
The dilemma is that people do not realize the importance of mental health. Sound body is not enough to lead a happy, peaceful and prosperous life.
Physical health gives us energy to perform certain tasks but healthy mind guides us to accomplish such tasks and most importantly it makes us feel the pleasure of pride after accomplishing such errands successfully.
In addition to this, it is our mind, which makes us superior and stand out from other species. It is God’s most precious gift to humans and that’s why it is our duty to take care. One can enjoy life only when he has a sane mind.
When people go through a mental angst, they are unable to determine what is going on. Most of them consult GPs, as they erroneously believe that something is wrong with their physical state 
