Mental Health and Self Care

When it comes to mental health, there shouldn't be any shame in seeking help. Yet, for some reason, the topic remains stagnated across the globe. What keeps a person from looking for the help they need? Moreover, what happens when a person from a low-income country is suddenly diagnosed with a mental health problem?

Sangu Delle, a founding member of Harvard University’s Mental Health Alumni Special Interest Group, describes that the negative stigma revolving around mental illness is one of the main contributing factors. However, during his TedTalk, he brings to attention that most cases are found in low-income countries that don't have the required funding to treat those who are suffering.

I have a loving, supportive family and incredibly loyal friends, yet I could not entertain the idea of speaking to anyone about my feeling of pain.

Delle explains that it was his self-prejudice that kept him from seeking out help. After suffering from an anxiety attack, he refused his doctor's suggestion to see a mental health professional. He fell silent, shook his head, and felt in a deep sense of shame.

To him, the term "mental health" was relatively new. The first time he heard it was when he was a child who had moved from Ghana to the US. Although he doesn't go into the details concerning what happened, he does mention the fact that he lost seven loved ones in a month. One can only imagine how it must've felt to experience such emotional stress as a child.

"Is she mental?" I thought. Does she not know I'm an African man?

In Ghana, Delle states, mental health problems such as depression and ADD, are considered "weird things" that weren't actually real. Whenever the term "mental" was brought up, all that came to mind was the image of a drug-addicted madman hobbling down the street while covered in filth. As a result, when his school's nurse showed concern about his mental health, he found the question silly.

"Come down with pneumonia, and your mother will rush you to the nearest hospital for medical treatment. But dare to declare depression, and your local pastor will be driving out demons and blaming witches in your village," explains Delle to emphasize how issues revolving around mental health were deemed abnormal in Ghana.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

With the context in place, Delle states that although 75% of the world's cases are found in low-income countries. In places like Africa, the government invests less than 1% of its health care budget to mental health research and suffers from a severe lack of psychiatrists, he states.

To bring that into better perspective, Nigeria, with a populace of around 200 million, only has an estimate of 200 psychiatrists in the country.

As a result, we suffer in solitude, silenced by stigma.

When asked the question, "What is the cause of mental illness?" Most will answer by listing drug misuse, divine wrath, the will of God, witchcraft, and even spiritual possession. However, only a small portion answered this question with things such as genetics, socioeconomic status, war, conflict, or the loss of loved ones.

Delle is trying to convey the message that self-care is incredibly important, and shouldn't be disregarded as something that only a madman would experience. This negative stigma won't resolve anything. All it does is burden the sufferers with the thought that they're at fault.

Somehow, when it comes to mental illness, our ignorance eviscerates all empathy.

In 2009, Delle's best friend was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The negative stigma led to their friends devolving into whispers and snickers to demean his condition. As Delle pointed out, they were words that would have never been said to someone who'd been diagnosed with cancer.

We need to see mental health as important as physical health.

By the end of his talk, it becomes clear that he's trying to address those inflicted with self-prejudice that he once had. Although it's uncertain that the message will reach them, it's still possible that those who are trying to figure out what they're suffering from might come across it. Therefore, he encourages them to speak to their friends, loved ones, and health professionals.

So the next time you hear "mental," do not just think of the madman. Think of me.