Mental health is one of the most ignored topics in India, and the lockdown has taught us how mental well-being needs attention. Dr Samir Parekh, an expert who champions mental health, joined us for a session of India Today E-Mind Rocks and spoke about how we can look after our mental health just like we look after our physical health.

Dr Samir Parekh, a passionate professional who has taken it upon himself to create awareness about mental well-being, said that there are a number of factors for why the subject is so hugely ignored in India.

“The biggest factor is that we have never had enough experts. So what has happened is that the experts are densely populated in some areas and hardly in the other areas. We have not been able to ensure that primary health care and mental health interface happens,” Dr Samir Parekh said.

“We’ve not done enough awareness so that people are able to understand that mental health is very much like any other problem. The fact is depression is the single-largest illness in the world, but if we normalise the conversation in a way that two people can easily talk to each other about their stress issues, only then we will able to give the right support to the people struggling,” Dr Parekh said.

Giving tips on how to stay mentally fit by doing some things we can practise on a daily basis, Dr Samir Parekh said, the most important two aspects are support system and basic joy of living.

“Bring humour in your life, bring creativity in your life, enjoy the moments, enjoy the successes and the downsides. And, most importantly, invest in relationships. If nothing else, Covid has taught us that all that matters is people around us,” Dr Parekh said.

He further said that positivity, a good belief system, problem-solving attitude, a healthy lifestyle, no substances abuse, a healthy sleeping pattern are also key to keeping the mind fit.

On social media conformity and the anxiety that it causes among the youth, Dr Parekh that there is a “digital self” that is a “portrayed self” and not one’s true self and there is also a “real self”.

“The portrayed self and the real self need to be as close to each other and you shouldn’t care about what people think about you. Likes, views and followers don’t matter, you should be able to like yourself, and until you do that, the social media would be a pressure on you,” Dr Parekh said.

Dr Parekh also urged people to stop spreading negativity on social media, saying that trolling and cyberbullying are among the saddest reflections of our times when it comes to social media.

“The only way to solve this is that you bombard social media with positive messages. Positivity needs to drown negativity because it is that positivity that stays in our social milieu which can decide upon whether we feel good about ourselves or not,” Dr Parekh said.

Addressing the issue of substance abuse, Dr Parekh said it needs to be seen as a “problem and there are no justifications”.

“It doesn’t matter whether your friend suggested, doesn’t matter whether your role model does that, doesn’t matter if you saw it’s a cool thing on social media. Substance abuse has the potential of taking over your life and the most important thing for a youngster should be them controlling their own lives. But, when you take a substance, the substance takes over you,” Dr Parekh said.

“So, you say no every time, no matter who is offering it to you. And if you can’t say no, go and seek help. If you think you’ve got habituated, go seek help,” Dr Parekh added.