In recent years, mental health has finally received the recognition it long deserved. For decades, people dealing with anxiety, depression, and other struggles were dismissed or stigmatised. Today, there is a growing understanding that well-being includes emotional and psychological health, and that stress, anxiety, and burnout deserve care. This openness has encouraged people to share their stories, seek help, and challenge stigma. Yet, an important question arises: what happens when mental health becomes overemphasised or over-identified with?
This progress, though positive, comes with a double edge. Without balance, awareness can work against itself. Normalising help-seeking is vital, but viewing every challenge as a mental health issue can blur the line between ordinary human struggles and genuine disorders. Overreliance on labels may weaken resilience, reduce personal agency, and turn temporary setbacks into permanent identities. When life is interpreted only through the lens of mental health, growth and responsibility can become overshadowed by fragility.
What is mental health?
The World Health Organisation defines mental health as a state of well-being in which a person can use their abilities, cope with normal stresses, work productively, and contribute to society. When this balance is disrupted, mental illness may occur.
Mild mental illnesses affect mainly a person’s internal thoughts or emotions. Daily functioning remains intact, and symptoms—like mild anxiety or low mood—are usually manageable with self-care, counselling, or lifestyle changes.
Severe mental illnesses, however, significantly disrupt life. They may involve intense mood swings, hallucinations, delusions, or crippling anxiety, making it difficult to work, study, or maintain relationships. Conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and PTSD often require professional treatment, medication, and sometimes hospitalisation.
In essence, the difference lies in severity, duration, and impact on daily life. Mild issues are manageable and short-term, while severe illnesses are persistent and disabling. Understanding this distinction helps us know when support is enough—and when professional intervention is essential.
In an interaction with a friend who wishes to stay anonymous, her struggles began with growing family problems that took a mental and emotional toll on her. At first, panic attacks, anxiety, and sadness overwhelmed her. She stopped eating well and refused to enjoy the company of people. Her family, friends, and people close to her thought that it was merely a phase she was going through, while she was carrying so much pain inside her. When she was about sixteen to seventeen, the signs could no longer be ignored. She went through breakdowns, emotional episodes, and even started harming herself in the hopes that such actions would somehow help her cope.
When her parents finally understood how serious her condition had become, they decided to get her proper help. She was taken for professional care, sessions with a psychiatrist, and regular therapy. After some time, due to the neglect of early treatment, she had to take medication, which helped stabilise her emotions and allowed her to begin healing. It was a slow and difficult recovery, but she persevered, and this is why early intervention of help is important in cases like this.
With a few years of consistent treatment, she started to improve. She could socialise again, open up about her feelings, and express the experiences that shaped her. Her journey really shows just how understanding and support are important, especially when a person is silently suffering. To this day, she remains constantly stronger, proving that with the right kind of help and compassion, recovery truly is possible but its never easy however it is not impossible.
I also once had a conversation with one of my other friend about this and he casually said, “it’s all in the head” I didn’t put much of my attention in it and just laughed it off thinking he was not interested and gave it a thought because however, if we don’t remain in denial but think hard, things make more sense and remind us about how we allow our minds to take over us when it’s necessary, not. Bitter but true. Spare yourself the misery of standing in the rain looking like a clown.
Mental health awareness is a double-edged sword. Openness builds acceptance, empathy, and solidarity, reminding people that their struggles are valid. For many, honest conversations have broken years of silence. But overusing labels carries a quiet risk—when every stress or low mood is called a disorder, the line between normal challenges and serious issues begins to fade. This can unintentionally create helplessness and weaken resilience.
Balance is essential. Some conditions are clinical and need professional care, but not every struggle falls into that category. People must learn to distinguish between short-term, manageable challenges and persistent, overwhelming ones that require expert help.
How to help?
Mild concerns can often be managed through self-care: good sleep, healthy routines, exercise, relaxation, journaling, hobbies, and talking with trusted people. Short-term therapy can also support recovery.
Severe symptoms require professional intervention—therapy, medication, long-term treatment, and strong support systems. In extreme cases, hospitalisation may be necessary for safety.
In short, mild issues need self-care and support; severe ones need structured treatment. Responding wisely to each situation improves well-being.
Mental health awareness should liberate, not limit. With compassion and resilience, it can cut through stigma while allowing people to live beyond labels—acknowledging struggles without letting them define who we are.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editorial team includes Chubamenla, Asst. Professor Dept. of English and Rinsit Sareo, Asst. Manager, IT, Media & Communications. For feedback or comments please email: dot@tetsocollege.org
