This topic has been widely discussed since forever but somehow people still don't take this seriously. First of all, mental health is something serious and as important as physical health, we should not take mental health lightly and ignore someone is in pain mentally. Depression has been widely found more in the youth than in adults in today's world. The main reason why the graph keeps increasing and not decreasing is because people refuse to listen to what the youth have to say and when they reach out for help, they silence them and ask them to go and study.
According to sensus, the suicide rates have also increased widely because of declining mental health, as stated earlier the primary reason for this is because no one listens to them. For example when someone is sad most people around the sad person, scold them asking them not to be sad as they are in previlge and guilt tripping them by telling their kids backstories of how parents struggled more than the kids. The should understand that "who struggled more" is not a competition nor it should be taken lightly. So, instead of making the situation about yourself, you should learn to stop talking for a while, listen to what they have to say and comfort them, Telling them about your struggles is only going to make them feel much worse and it invalidates their feelings to the point where they stop talking to you. This is usually the case that happens in every single household or workplace.
So what can we do to help? Well, that's easy we are doing the bare minimum but that bare minimum is enough to save someone's life. You need to make sure to help them, listen to them do not interrupt them or talk over them and please do not make the situation about you, do not tell them about the struggles you had to face as well as it will not help them feel better at all, it will make them feel more burdened and they might even feel helpless as they cannot help you. Do not guilt trip them and tell them they're previlged and have good money there's nothing to be sad about, because depression and anxiety does not check up on everyone's financial status and only attack poor people, no. Everyone, whether rich or poor, men or women, adult, teenager or a kid, everyone faces this. Also schools and colleges should allow students to take leave when you see them struggling mentally, check up on them and make them feel safe.
I hope everyone takes this as a learning lesson and realises what you should do when you see someone in pain mentally and hope this topic gets discussed and covered more often and not taken lightly anymore. Remember taking care of yourself mentally is what comes first, you come before anyone else.
By Shraavana H Pillai
BA.Comm English 1 yr