Because Mental Health Can Never Be Spoken of Enough!
This festive season feels like a déjà vu of sorts. Movies are making a comeback Kantara: Chapter 1 is here. Jolly LLB 3 is back. Housefull 5, War 2 and God knows how many more are waiting to return to theatres. And it struck me: if movies can come back again and again, why can’t I bring back the one subject I believe can never be spoken about enough? Mental health. Because no matter how many times I write about it, it is never enough.
We’ve all seen it. A friend who “zones out” too often, a brother who seems to be talking to someone who isn’t really there, a loved one who suddenly withdraws. Too frequently, we excuse it: “She’s traveling.” “He’s just not in the mood.” But let’s be honest these are not moods to brush off, nor quirks to cover up. What they really need is support. What they really need is help.
And yes, that help could mean therapy. Sometimes it means medication. And that is absolutely okay. Because when someone has a heart attack, we don’t ask them if they want to go to the doctor we take them. The same urgency applies to mental health. Stop counting “episodes” — she messaged this on the family group, he lashed out today, she cried yesterday. What matters more is the number of days your loved one is going without the treatment they desperately need.
Mental health is not a fad, not a phase, not something that only happens to “others.” The truth is sobering: the most affected age group is 16–35 years old. They aren’t strangers they are our siblings, our friends, our spouses, even our children. Depression doesn’t discriminate it can come from heartbreak, loneliness, or even from the pressures of being married.
This Diwali, as we light up our homes, let’s also light up our minds. Let’s break the silence. Let’s end the shame. Let’s remember that depression, anxiety, or psychosis are not weaknesses they are illnesses. And like any illness, they need treatment, not judgment.
So, my wish for you this festive season is simple: along with new clothes, let’s gift ourselves and our loved ones the courage to speak up and the strength to seek help. Because the greatest gift you can give to yourself and to anyone, for that matter is the gift of feeling right!