Increase awareness campaign:
• Increased awareness campaigns will surely lead towards helping in changing public attitude towards mental health. Competition, workload, peer pressure, what the society, even your close family will say, unhealthy expectations, etc., are triggers contributing towards mental health issues, which is faced not only by adults, but I believe, even children are put through it. Awareness campaigns will, I hope, in the long run, encourage people to come forward to get treated and not shut themselves away, fearing what society would say.
• I will definitely say awareness. To be diagnosed seems like taboo or cursed in our society, many fear about it. Plus many people are unaware of mental health, which is one of the important part that keeps one and the people around us healthy be it in personal life, society or work place. Awareness about mental health is one imp topic which is neglected in Nagaland.
• Increase awareness campaign. There is a need to increase awareness on the science behind mental illness instead of the current superstitions beliefs around it.
• Many are suffering silently due to ignorance, worst is, they aren't even aware of what actually is the status of their mental health. Locally, health experts for screening and diagnosis of such disease conditions are lacking.
Setting up more diagnosis and treatment facilities:
Changing public attitudes towards mental illness:
• Yes, there must be a change in our attitude towards mental illness. We have to be more broad minded and understand illness. In this fast paced changing word we must understand that mental illness is going to increase even more. If our society do not have an understanding approach, people will not openly get treatment and medical help. Naga public must change.
• Public attitude must change towards mental illness. Our society needs to know that mental illness is a reality and for us to address this challenge, we have to be understanding with sympathy and kindness.
Others:
• All of the above and many more. We need to normalise mental healthcare as much as physical health. There are also some misplaced priorities in terms of target audiences when it comes to awareness campaigns which are mostly centered among the young and urban settings. We seriously need to target the older population, religious institutions and rural areas, these are areas where all the misconceptions on mental health breeds.
• All of the above. Depression and suicide in youngsters and Alzheimer’s at old age is becoming too common in our society.
• All the three options are required and necessary. There is no question of which one is needed and which one is not.
• Proper career counselling for young people today in the field of mental health so that the quality of mental health care is excellent. These days due to the dire need of professionals in this field, many people are doing short courses on mental health and practicing in the name of licensed professionals. This is very dangerous and leads to the patients spending more resources than is required. So while awareness campaigns are increasing, facilities are being introduced, it will all be for nothing if there are no state regulated licensed professionals to provide the proper services in mental health.
