Mental Health?! Are you kidding me?
May is mental health awareness month. It pains my heart to read about yet another news story of suicide by a 20-year-old due to depression.When I lived in Bombay (Mumbai) I would often ask "Kaisi/kaisa hai?" (“How are you”, in Hindi) and the reply would be "Theek hoon yaar" (“I am fine my friend”). The tone of certain replies never registered to me, especially with the mechanical life in the big city and the critical unawareness of mental health concepts. In hindsight, I now understand the tones which should have conveyed to me, "I am surviving and it's all good (sigh!)". Here in the US, I find that people ask the same question and just breeze away with no time to even stop and listen to the reply. Instead, we need to ask and genuinely stop for a second to listen and care. Health is wealth and it is very important to be aware that mental health is a prized possession.
Our brain is a very powerful part of our body. Imagine the game telephone in which a message is passed on from one person to another. Invariably, the message is different by the time it reaches the last person. The signals in the brain are like telephone messages being passed on between the neurons, the major difference is that the messages in the brain need to be passed on accurately. This is maintained by neurons releasing chemicals to each other called neurotransmitters. In the absence or inadequate release of this neurotransmitter, our brain cannot function properly. This is believed to occur in one of the mental health problems; depression. This state of depression impacts several organ systems and affects numerous functions in our body. For example, one of the effects is on the brain-gut axis which can affect your gut composition; disturbances in our brain are capable of changing the gut microbiome and cause conditions like inflammatory bowel disease. Depression has also been associated with chronic respiratory disease and many other health problems.Mental health awareness is of utmost importance. It is important to advocate for your own mental health and support each other. We celebrate each other in moments of happiness, but need each other more so when we are feeling sad and struggling. We need that pillar of support when we feel anxious, when we desire to feel wanted, when we just need company to sit with, or when we want to pour our heart out without being judged. If you are listening to someone express these feelings and are unsure how to respond, you could convey that you don't quite understand how they are feeling but you are willing to help in any way you can. It can make a huge difference to hear words like, "Things will be ok”, “I am here for you”, or “What can I do to help you?”The following activities have helped me to manage my mental health over the past few years:
- Pranayam (breathing exercises)
- Practicing yoga
- Regular exercise
- Talking to my close circle about how I feel
- Listening to others experiences with identifying or struggling with mental health problems
- This picture book helped to identify and understand my own depression
- Talking to a professional counselor
I am fortunate to have access to an excellent mental health/behavioral health department at the JBT Health and Wellness at OHSU. It is available for free to students at OHSU. Help is just a phone call away. If you are reading this article and feel the need for help or know anyone who needs help, please don’t wait to take a step towards your own well-being.Wishing happy mental health to one and all! Cheers!
Additional Links of Interest:
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- SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder: It is possible to make SAD not even seasonal!!!
- A Ph.D. Is a Lot More Than Just Your Research
- Never Give Up – there is a bright day out there!
- Inspiration Dissemination Podcast Episode: Sweta Ravisankar Monkeying around in the lab to find a good egg
About the Author:
Sweta Ravisankar is originally from India and moved to the U.S. after completing both a Bachelors and Masters in Biotechnology. Finding her way through the vast field of biology, she landed on an island called reproductive biology. Sweta is currently a PhD. candidate in the Chavez and the Hennebold labs at the west campus of OHSU. She is interested in (in)fertility studies and understanding the male and female gamete production. Outside of the lab, she is a professional Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical dance) dancer and performs throughout the US and India. Daning, crocheting, and watching movies are her all-time stress busters!!