Your brain is at risk: Know all about mental health and its hidden battles

Brain health is the foundation of mental health. There are two most critical aspects, awareness and accessibility, that determine how India can efficiently address and manage the mental wellness of its people. Accessibility is the most critical issue; that is why ‘Brain Health: Access for all’, the theme of World Brain Day, gets prominence among all stakeholders. Just as the heart, liver, kidneys or lungs can malfunction, the brain and mind too can suffer from illness, imbalance, trauma, stress and dysfunction. Depression is not weakness. Anxiety is not drama. Addiction is not moral failure.

What is mental health and why is it important?

A decade-old National Mental Health Survey had revealed that the prevalence of mental morbidity among adults was 10.6%, and that nearly 15% of adults required active mental health intervention. The same survey reported a treatment gap ranging from 70% to 92% across different mental disorders. India has made significant progress in strengthening its healthcare delivery systems, but a significant gap remains in mental health services.

What is the cause of chronic inflammation?

Clinically, brain health is primarily affected by chronic inflammation. This is often overlooked. Then, with tissue processes such as repair, an occasionally inadequate response in terms of recovery, and leaving long-term tissue damage, cell death, and loss of body functions, including functional impairment. Brain health is affected by lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Smoking, alcohol, and obesity are other risk factors. Disrupted sleep patterns, abnormal sleep timings, excess screen time, or playing games, especially for adolescents, and substance abuse cause severe damage to brain health.

What is the aim of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY provides eligible families with health cover of up to Rs five lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. Mental healthcare must be integrated more meaningfully into such frameworks, including OPD-linked models where appropriate. As far as accessibility is concerned, the private sector can serve as a powerful catalyst. Patients often seek help from individual psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, mental wellness centres and specialised outpatient clinics.

What is the role of support groups in mental health recovery?

The key point is accurately recognising the problem of mental health. All stakeholders must come together to manage it efficiently. For individuals, awareness is the key, and once symptoms surface, they must consult their local doctor. Do not hide symptoms. Avoid trigger factors such as alcohol abuse, substance abuse, smoking, vaping, and passive exposure to smoke. At the national level, India needs cohesive collaboration between private- and public-sector healthcare providers and insurers.

The warning signs, as far as the impact on the brain is concerned, are fatigue, loss of concentration, attention deficit, behavioural changes, aggression, difficulty sleeping, unexplained, unprovoked responses, disruption of interpersonal relationships, and ultimately, one can end up with what is called brain atrophy. Poor brain health impairs cognitive function and adversely affects scholastic performance, leading to declines in children’s school performance. Among working adults, poor performance and low productivity in the workplace are not uncommon.