Blog# 12

Have you ever known someone with a mental illness? How did/does the illness impact his/her life? What have you learned about this mental illness just from knowing them?

Mental illness is a big health issue in most of the low or middle income countries.It impacts a patient's physical as well as psychological wellness. Mental illness is also associated with many sociocultural aspects.This disease might not be a big issue in developed countries but some developing countries still label this disease as a disease carried out by crazy people,some society label it as an outcome of evil deeds etc. The society where i grew up is a good example of this social stigma.I have seen many mentally challenged people living under a miserable condition without getting a proper treatment simply because society labeled them as crazy.When i was a little kid i used to think that all mentally challenged people are crazy and they deserve a secluded life. This kind of negative impact has been carried out by our own social norms and rituals.However, this negative thoughts changed later when i grew up.When i was about seven years old, there used to be this lady who was suffering from some kind of mental disorder. She used to talk a lot and roam around society all the time. Later, when she was taken to the local hospital, the doctor labeled her as a mentally ill person.Her condition later deteriorated and she was on the verge of psychological disorder.She spent her days inside a room where the door was locked from outside all the time. She was withdrawn from the school and she was isolated from her friends all the time. Later when condition became worst, the society told her parents to take her to India where the diagnosis of this disease was easy.She was taken to India and she spent there inside a mental hospital for four months. When she came back her condition was good. She later talked about the physical abuse that she went through during her entire illness. She was given electric shock whenever her condition became worst and she was beaten and kept inside a dark room for hours.She was given all kind of tranquilizers.Due to her illness her family members had to go through a lot of social abuse. People in the society labeled her family as a crazy family.They also came out with a stereotype that all of her family members are crazy.So, i have seen this incidence through my own eyes and the pain that she faced, the social denial that she went through was really a miserable situation.When i used to see her in a chain inside a dark room, my childish brain used to think that may be all people who are mentally challenged should be kept inside a dark room and subjected to be isolated from the society. But, later when i got a good information about the disease from my parents and teachers, i felt that my society was practicing a cruel way of treating these people keeping them inside a dark room, beating and giving them electric shocks.So, when a person goes through this disease, then her whole family members are also subjected to be crazy.So, the person who are diagnosed with this disease not only faces a mental health issue but also social denials, isolation and sometimes physical abuse.