#Dr Vaishalli Midlife Marvels

[yourdepressioninlife]

Mental health: What India must do to solve its mental health

One in every four people will be affected by mental health issues at some point in their lives as estimated by the World Health Organization, leading to the global concern of suicidal deaths. According to the WHO, about 800,000 people die due to suicide every year. Every 40 seconds, a person commits suicide or attempts to take his life making suicide the second leading cause of death around the world. With the current pandemic situation, the increasing rate of mental health issues, cases of suicides and depression desperately calls for the need of suicide prevention strategies, raising awareness about mental well-being as well as diagnosis and healing of various mental health disorders, especially in the youth.

On a mission to highlight the significance of living a balanced physical and mental life, psychological counsellor and philanthropist, Dr. Vaishalli Khangte believes that there is an organic approach to this rising problem.

“Awareness is the first step to change. We must be aware about ourselves and our surroundings. Commonly, for mental health related problems, the initial phase symptoms are vague like feeling low, tired, fatigued, aimless and helpless, therefore undiagnosed.” Dr. Khangte stated. “Moreover, we fear opening up to others and seeking advice or help in order to avoid being looked down upon or being humiliated in our society because mental illness is seen as a social stigma.” She further added.

With 25 years of professional experience in homeopathy, she is also a pranic healer, aura, cellular and crystal healer, yoga practitioner, holistic healing coach, hypnotherapist and a nutritional dietician.

According to Dr. Khangte, mental illness is a simple problem that needs to be tackled, however it is often neglected due to various aspects such as the society we live in, culture, upbringing, constant peer pressure, parental nagging, self-criticism and expectations from others.

“Most of the times we are not allowed to be the way we want to. Certain norms are inculcated right from childhood which we later on continue to carry, knowing that they are not right for us. We are unable to breakthrough that cocoon and hence, left sulking.” Dr. Khangte stated.

Dr. Khangte urges people to talk openly about mental health issues and normalize it just like any other physical health problems. “I think more coverage on mental health is important. We shouldn’t wait for things to worsen and help people sooner to save them from serious mental disorders. All kinds of techniques should be put together and all types of platforms should work on spreading awareness.” Dr. Khangte said.

Dr. Khangte practices the ideology of personalized treatment as no ‘one therapy’ or ‘medication’ can heal everyone. “Increasing our socialization, being around people who we can confide in, get fresh air from time to time, familiarize ourselves with our surroundings, developing hobbies are some ways to protect ourselves from falling into depression. Also, having a look ‘within’ to re- invent ourselves can take us a long way. Avoiding jealousy, comparisons and introspecting who we truly are and what we really want in life can help us find our own happiness.” She adviced.

Talking about the current pandemic situation that has led to an increase in the number of mental illness cases and suicides, Dr. Khangte suggested social media to be a prominent cause for youth isolation and depression.

“I have seen many cases of suicides, fears, phobias, OCDs and the covid-19 virus has added more to the problem. The death of the Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was the event when I encountered a surge of youngsters who related to him in one way or anotherand went into depression.” Dr. Khangte stated, “People have become so vulnerable that they cannot balance their emotions, landing into violent emotional flares where they lost self-control. In today’s virtual world, humans, being social animals, are isolated, avoiding contact, personal touch, interactions, meetings and real conversations. This pushes them towards mental illnesses.”

In her upcoming book, Midlife Marvels, Dr. Khangte has laid down time and tested holistic solutions and techniques from her clinical experiences to overcome symptoms of feeling low and depressed in a ‘do-it yourself ’style which can help people keep their disturbed emotions at bay.

Dr. Khangte has worked with several NGO groups like Human Organization for Pioneering in Education, Bapu Trust and Hahnemannian Homoeopathy Forum, HHF- Pune as a trustee for 12 years. She has been researching the ‘Application Of Mind In Homoeopathy’ along with conducting seminars, lectures, counselling sessions, healing camps on health-related issues along with medications and offering free online meditations and orientation sessions on Pranic Healing, Homeopathy Consultation and Treatment. Khangte also works on a free feeding program under the project, ‘Food For Hungry’ along with her collegues to distribute daily essentials such as clothes, grains and more to the needy people in and around Pune. She has been recognized with many awards for her contributions in the city, along with the Punyadham Award recently this year to acknowledge her efforts.

“I wish people who suffer from any sort of mental problems and emotional stress would find the path to break their cocoon and fly like a butterfly.” Dr. Khangte added, “And in case, anyone needs help in breaking through, they can reach out to me or those around them who can support you and hold your hand to pull you out of this abyss.