It's ALL in the HEAD

Whenever confronted with a person with a mental disorder, the general reaction is : It's all in his/her head.

True. It is in the head because an organ vital for a human being's existence, The Brain, resides inside one's head. The more subtle and unseen Mind too resides in the head. Hence, "mental" disorder. Hence, it's in the head.

But is it All in the head? No, absolutely not. There are various factors contributing to a mental disorder. Broadly split, they can be bundled as Nature factors and Nurture factors. Nature factors are those which are inherent to the individual, and not dependent on the environment. Like genetics, heredity, severe trauma to the brain by means of injury. However, Nature factors, mostly, only predispose an individual to be a likely candidate for a mental disorder. They cannot cause or create a mental disorder, even a chemical imbalance induced one.

This brings us to the more important of the two factors: Nurture. Nurture is a very wide term used to club together factors dependent on the individual's environment. Upbringing, early childhood experiences, treatment by elders and peers, environmental stressors, traumatic experiences, sexual abuse, physical and/or mental abuse, frustration in reaching one's life goals; the list can go on interminably.

Whether a person will develop a mental disorder depends on the interplay of Nature factors and Nurture factors. Again, broadly speaking, if both Nature and Nurture factors are pathogenic, a person may develop a mental disorder. The changes in a person's mental outlook and behaviour are initially classified as a "Disorder" only. Even DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association) classification uses the term "Disorder". However, if the disorder does not correct itself soon enough, either by itself or after intervention by Psychiatric professionals, then long term treatment options make it an illness. Whatever the terminology, even a mental disorder is as serious an illness as any other physical illness. It is as debilitating, as disabling. The only difference is that there are no fevers, no rashes, no broken bones, no surgery. Hence, it is invisible for the most part to people, other than those whose mind and self-esteem the disorder erodes everyday.

We, as society, are all part of the environment (hence, Nurture factors) of each and every other human being on this planet. The physical and mental energies do interact on some level, which will most likely be unknown to us. Decisions taken in a corner of the world may have repercussions on a far removed spot on the earth. We all are individually and collectively responsible for the Nurture factors involved in mental illness, even though the persons suffering may be total strangers to us. For example, the prejudice that Indian society holds against the birth of a girl, may be a major contributing factor in the development of pathological symptoms in a girl child and her parents. So, those who smirk at persons with mental illnesses, please wipe that ugly smile off your face. You are as much of a contributor towards the genesis of the illness by creating an environment in which the illness grows. You also contribute to the severity of the illness by being the architect of an artificial "shame" around mental illness, which deters people from approaching health professionals for help at an early stage, when the disorder is more amenable to cure.

We are not all medical professionals. It may be difficult for us to understand a mental illness without suffering from one ourselves or by watching a dear one suffer. A person with mental illness may keep smiling through the tears. But that does not give you, me or anyone the right to say that it is ALL in the head. It is not. It is as real as cancer. It eats away the mind just as cancer eats away the body. Of course, there is no life without a body. But ask anyone suffering from a severe mental illness: what is life without a mind?

A Treasure Chest of Memories

Dear Friends,

It is said that there is only one ultimate truth in the world : Death.

Well, there are, then, a number of penultimate truths too. Like illness. Hardly anyone goes through life without falling ill. It is like, whoever has a body will fall ill. Mathematically, body implies illness, at time t=unknown.

Yet, we as a society, have a very queer attitude to illness. Employers think the employee is faking it to steal a few days of leave. Parents think children are faking it to escape school. Teachers think the same too. Doctors want to ensure that their patients are not faking it. Primary care-givers at home are praying that their loved ones are faking it because they want to be spared the anxiety and the work that comes with caring for the ill. Only God knows that his creations are not faking it.

That was on the lighter side. On a more serious note, most people react to illness, especially serious illness, with shock. Arrey, aapko heart atttack kaise aa gaya? Kal tak toh aap bilkul theek-thaak they! (How did you get a heart attack? You were absolutely fine till yesterday!). Or, maybe, how did you get cancer? We met only last month and you were fine. Or, how did you get depression? You have always been a very cheerful person. It is a little like asking a corpse, how did you die? You were so full of life yesterday!!

Yes, the shock is a natural human reaction. Illness and death are difficult and morbid concepts to wrap our heads around. We often hear people say, Mujhe toh marne ki bhi fursat nahin hai (I don't even have the leisure to die). We are so busy fighting for things like getting to a meeting on time that if Yamraaj himself were to come and stand before us, we would probably say, "Come back later. I have to reach office on time else my Boss will kill me". Any knowledge like that of someone's illness is like a rude shock, which brings us back to the reality about life. Its frailty and uncertainty.

So, just imagine the plight of the ill. Having to wake up everyday with their illness. Having to spend the whole day with their illness. Having to go to bed every night with their illness. Not for them cares about the next office meeting. Not for them the care about their next promotion or their child's top position in class. Not for them the woes of the whole world sitting upon their solitary pair of shoulders. Getting by morning to night and night to morning itself is a struggle.

What matters to them is every act of care or kindness that someone shows towards them. A few words on the phone. A few minutes spent laughing, looking into their eyes. A small treat, a light touch, a loving caress, a tight hug. Who knows. Everyone has their own ways of collecting such a treasure box of memories, which they open and look at when they are lying alone in bed. Maybe flowers brought them by a friend. Maybe a sibling's night spent fussing over them. Maybe a relative's hand cooked food, fed with love. Maybe a co-worker's two hours spent with them over coffee and donuts. Maybe a parent's love shared over tea and cookies. Maybe a neighbour's evening spent watching a movie together. Maybe a Boss's surprise visit with the implicit promise of help. Maybe a child's clumsily drawn card. Moments wrapped in the tissue of acceptance, kept in the chest of feel-good emotions. They give the ill the strength to get by the challenging days, the motivation to get well, and the belief that the world is a good place; a place worth hanging onto with dear life.

They don't need anyone's shock reaction. They don't need the crocodile tears. They don't need forwarded jokes and talent-show videos. They need a touch, a humane touch, a human touch. So, when you are preparing for that next big promotion or meeting tomorrow, remember tomorrow may never come. The ill are still fortunate. They know pain. They know that their time may be limited. Life has given them that chance. Not everyone is so fortunate. All it takes is just one second of inattention at the wheels by someone, or a second's delay in reaching the hospital. It may be time for someone else to ask your corpse, "What happened? You were so full of life a second back!!"