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World Mental Health Day

For a long time, mental health as stayed a negligent issue in the eyes of people. Many people have worked together to make mental health a priority among masses. Those efforts have borne some fruitful results, but still a lot of stigmas overlap the main issues. The biggest truth that society needs to accept, however, is that this condition or a disorder can affect anyone irrespective of their gender, age or any other demographic. Everyone suffers & each suffering is important. Though each gender suffers from mental/stress related conditions but over the years women have found it more difficult to cope up because of various physiological changes mainly associated with them only.

Various reasons due to which women suffer from Mental Health issues are:-

1- PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) :- PMS in itself has always had so many stigmas surrounding it that speaking up about mental health related to it has remained a hard task. Various researchers have found that women experience a lot of mood changes, stress, anxiety and minor or major depression during PMS. All the females go through these conditions every month which clearly explains the magnitude of this condition and the need to address it.

2- PTSD ( Post – Traumatic Stress Disorder) :- Our patriarchal Society has played a vital role in embedding PTSD among females due to different kinds of traumas they go through in their personal lives. It has been observed that many of the Indian females go through terrible traumatic experiences once in their lives which lead to arousal of various mental conditions or disorders. Add to this any tragic or accidental incident they happen to witness.

3- Postnatal Depression: – Many people are unaware of this condition due the same reason, stigma. It is a type of Depression that many parents experience after having a baby. 1 out of 10 women suffer from Postnatal Depression within a year of giving birth. Fathers or partners can get affected too. It’s a condition that is very fragile as it can cause harm to baby, family or the female herself, hence seeking help becomes a necessity.

4- PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome):- PCOS is a kind of hormonal imbalance that causes infertility, obesity, and excessive facial hairs in females. This condition can lead to various mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

5- Failing to conceive: – Women have always been given the title of “World Makers.” This title enforces a burden on females about giving birth. But when they fail due to many medical, biological, or mental reasons, they get vulnerable to mental health disorders. Many women suffer from depression due to this failure and loss. It becomes the most difficult time to fight if family turns their back too.

6- Personal and Professional life: – Gender roles have been prevailing in our society since a long time which makes it difficult for women to manage both their personal and professional life. They are expected to take care of family and children at home and not to work. And even if they choose to work, they get undervalued because of their gender. Managing all of this alone increases the chances of high level stress and anxiety. During the ongoing pandemic, stress levels have increase manifold for most of the women. Due to working under strict deadlines, 75% of working women suffer from depression. (Source:- NCBI website)

Suffering from mental health conditions or disorders is as normal as any other physical condition. These issues are fragile and can get worse if not treated timely. Seeking help is the most immediate step that every individual should take if even identified by a single symptom. This World Mental Health Day, let’s pledge to fight the stigma and work together for the awareness.

#TrashTheStigma #SpeakUp