Modern World: The Dilemma of Mental Health

We as a species have evolved and come a long way from food gatherers to the modern times. Our quest to evolve is tremendous and inevitable. It is in our nature to continually look for changes that give us happiness and contentment. At the same time, we must concede that we live in a very unequal world.

The most peculiar thing about the humans is the possession of brain which is superior to any other living being. It is through our brain power that we have come of age. Although we are all born equal but in our pursuit of gratification of desires, we over time, have made a lot of walls of differentiation. The walls that divide us on race, religion, gender, wealth and so on. The unequal world that we have come up to has many systemic problems. One of the most prominent of these is mental health.

Considering the complexities of human anatomy, the way we think and perceive things depends on a variety of factors. The walls that seem to divide us have a significant affect on how we grow up to be. Being a thinking species we have our good and bad sides. Knowing and accepting that, and sometimes not, we go about our lives. Living in a society, adhering to the prevalent traditions is generally the founding principle. Nevertheless, humans rebel, sometimes to go forward and at other times not. This is how we have evolved and shall continue to do so.

It seems that mental health issues are more to be seen in our urban setup. Psychiatry deals with mental health problems in a scientific way. The system we live in is highly demanding for all to keep themselves in the race. Recognizing differential in human acumen and behavior not everyone can catch up with the crowd. Right from infancy till one's end we are constantly supposed to be either conformists or be a step further. There is hardly any place for the left outs. The high level of aspirations and those not being accomplished is one of the prominent reasons of various psychiatric problems. Materialism and consumerism take a heavy toll on mental health. The social relations have become materialistic and ones worth is decided by the material possessions one holds. Since the system pushes us to pursue our goals based on our materialistic desires the real goal of self actualization is left far behind.

In order to treat psychiatric problems, medical science has made tremendous progress and offers good treatment. The irony however is that since medical profession is no different, the compulsions of the system drive it as well. Vested interests of the medical profession and the profit seeking pharmaceutical corporations create a make-believe world where medication to treat mental stress is inevitable. The stress that has been created by the system itself. In my personal opinion, many a time the behavioral problems can be handled without medication but more often than not the will to do so has to come from within. Any external help becomes futile and any medication just a habit. People often turn to spirituality to treat mental stress. Spirituality, I think, is capable of healing upto a certain extent. It just might help one become as selfless as possible. But again, once you step out in the real world you must enter the mad race or be ready to be meted out cruelly! It is time we call this system out and tread on the path of self actualization for not only our own good but for a greater cause as well. It calls for struggle within ourselves but we must take it to make a better world. I bet you call me a utopian, a day dreamer, so be it. I still urge you to consider the idea!