Seeking help for Mental diseases

Mental Diseases in India and How it is Looked at.

I come from a family with mental disorders. Usually, mental disorders lead to self medication in the form of drug and alcohol abuse.  My older brother was addicted to drugs and alcohol.  He was a good student, went on to become an engineer and got an MBA degree from the University Of Connecticut. While I am not sure where and when he started experimenting with drugs and alcohol, most of his adult life he had been a drug addict and alcoholic. He has been to rehab programs in Germany and as of now I have no idea what role   these addictions play in  his life. He got married, has four adult children, has a daughter in law and a grand daughter. His wife, Uta is the most supportive person I know. I dare say that if he was married to a person who did not love him as much as she does, she would have walked out on him long time ago. My younger brother,now deceased was given to a life of alcohol and drugs and died when he was just thirty six years of age. His short life included a marriage and divorce, but, no children.

Only by the grace of God, I escaped being touched by drugs or alcohol. This is no great feat accomplished by me, but just luck. Or grace. Divine will at work.  I think it has everything to do with my Prarabhdha Karma.  And also the Karmas of my wife and children. It is all intertwined.

I have done more than my fair share of reading about mental disorders. I noticed that among Indians, either living abroad or in India it is taboo to even acknowledge that one can be acting in self destructive  ways  because of a chemical imbalance.  In many cases, completely treatable through medication or talk therapy. Or both.

About a decade ago, I noticed that I was tired all the time. Even though it appeared that I had a good night’s sleep, I would feel very tired. I recall falling asleep at a red light. I consulted my personal physician. After a thorough physical examination and lots of questioning, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I was not surprised, nor in denial  with this diagnosis, given my family history. 

Daivam Maanusha Roopena. (God appears in the form of a human being)  One of my good friends, a physician, though not my personal physician, when he heard my story, suggested that I could be having Sleep Apnea and asked me to see a “Sleep Specialist”. I did not know at that time such a specialty existed.

I saw a Sleep specialist. I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. I have ever since that diagnosis been using a CPAP machine. I think it is the greatest invention to make a man’s life better. At least mine. The difference in the energy level is night and day.

Ever since I started noticing my brothers’ addictions, I realized the devastation that mental disorders can cause. More so, untreated.  So many beautiful lives, so many families are destroyed by mental diseases. Recently I asked a young man, around forty years of age, who was having marital strife, what percentage of his friends had similar problems. Without batting an eyelid, he said around ninety five percent. The reason he has problems in his marriage is his wife has an untreated  mental disorder. When some family members suggested to her that she should seek professional help, her reaction was highly predictable. I have no problem, maybe you need psychiatric help, it is the rest of the people around me who have to change, if only my spouse and my in laws were to behave differently I would not have these angry outburst, I would not be so self destructive.

My heart went out for her. Here we have a completely treatable condition, if only we acknowledge that we need help.

The taboo of mental disease comes from a lack of education. As a people, we need to work to eliminate this taboo. If we look back at the members of our family, we talk about their idiosyncrasies. Sounds very comical, at times. But at the root lies an untreated mental disorder. If there is one thing we can do is to not only admit but also make the case that it is perfectly alright to have a mental disorder. If we are lucky to diagnose the problem and also have the resources to treat it, we should thank God for that.