Universal mental health is a justiciable right now

There is still an urgent need to remove the stigma associated with mental illnesses .         Representational Image

 New Delhi, August 30, 2018: For the first time in India, universal mental health care is now a justiciable right following the enforcement of the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017. As a watershed moment for the right to health movement in India, it is also for the first time that the law has recognized the right to access health care for citizens — and specifically for mental health.

There are about 150 million people in India needing mental health care and treatment, of which no less than 105 million lack access. Stigmatization and discrimination are serious causes of concern, with numerous documented cases of human rights violations as a result poor quality of mental health care, forced admissions in mental health hospitals, and a denial of socio-economic rights.

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, President, HCFI, said, “Depression is a major public health problem as a leading predictor of functional disability and mortality. All depressed patients must be enquired specifically about suicidal ideations. Suicidal ideation is a medical emergency. Risk factors include psychiatric known disorders, medical illness, prior history of suicidal attempts, or family history of attempted suicide. The risk of suicide increases with increase in age; however, younger and adolescents attempt suicide more than the older. Females attempt suicide more frequently than males, but males are successful three times more often. The highest suicidal rate is amongst those individuals who are unmarried followed by widowed, separated, divorced, married without children and married with children in descending order. Living alone increases the risk of suicide.”

In those people where the sympathetic nervous system is dominant, there is a feeling of nervousness, jitteriness or tension. When a person is depressed, there is a disconnect between his physical and mental health.

Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the Group Editor-in-Chief of IJCP, said, “Quantum physics explains that the mechanism of depression and anxiety can be an imbalance between understanding the way particle duality functions. Balancing this can further help in treating depression and other such mental disorders. The parasympathetic nervous system plays a vital role in maintaining both mental and physical health by helping the body to calm down from stress reactions that elevate blood pressure, dilate the pupils, and divert energy from other body processes to fighting or fleeing.”

Some tips from HFCI

• Include foods that support your system Consume a diet based on whole foods. This includes green leafy vegetables, quality protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
• Hydrate the body adequately staying hydrated will help the lymphatic system flush out toxins and remove the metabolic waste out of the body. This is essential to detoxify, nourish, and regenerate tissue.
• Include some physical activity Exercise is positive physiological stress for the body. Yoga, for example, is known to accrue great benefits to both the mind and body.
• Practice mindfulness this includes a combination of practices, habits, thoughts, and behaviors to help you get through your daily life. Mindfulness means intentionally and actively seeking to lower the body’s response to stress.