A Family Affair: Helping Families Cope with Brain Disorders!

Almost everything we do, say and think is controlled by our brain, thus also having the potential of impacting the healthy functioning of individuals. However, any form of malfunctioning or injury in this central part of human body can impact every aspect of one’s life. A brain disorder occurs when there is a damage or disruption to the brain, either genetically or due to any form of illness or traumatic injury. Brain injuries can include blood clots and strokes; brain tumors or seizures; neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer, Parkinson’s, Dementia; and other conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and even depression can occur due to biological dysfunctionality in the brain.

The outlook for people with brain disorders depends on the type and severity of the brain disorder. The effects of a brain disorder may range from physical impact in the form of paralysis, seizures, epilepsy, chronic pain and movement difficulties to cognitive and behavioral effects including memory problems, poor concentration, anger issues, irritability, lack of initiative or motivation and poor social skills. Some conditions can be treated with medication and therapy. Other disorders, like neurodegenerative diseases and some traumatic brain injuries, involve extreme difficulties in cure and treatment. People with these conditions often face permanent changes in their behavior, mental abilities, or coordination. In extreme cases, surgery may be the last resort left and these can be highly risky, invasive and anxiety-provoking. In these cases, treatment will try to help one manage their illness and retain as much independence as possible.

Thus the role of love and care provided by one’s social support system can be extremely significant and a curative factor. The brain conditions can be so debilitating that the person may become dependent on the caregivers for institutional as well as emotional support.

Mental illness often has a ‘ripple effect’ on families, creating tension, uncertainty, troubled emotions and big changes in how people live their lives. Different family members are likely to be affected in different ways. These effects on the family are sometimes not acknowledged by health professionals. Families or caregivers may take on the role of providing day-to-day care. This often happens with little training or support, or acknowledgment of their own needs and mental health. When families are accepted as partners in care and do receive training and support, this may lead to better outcomes for everyone involved. They should be treated as ‘partners in care’. They need information about the illness and treatment provided, and about training and support to help themselves as well as the person who is ill.

Families and caregivers should develop a practical and positive attitude, right from the start. They should be helped in learning to develop a sense of balance between coming to terms with the condition their loved one is facing, acknowledging the effects of the illness on the person and hopes for recovery, showing care and love, wanting to do things to help the person and encouraging them to be independent, giving the person enough time while at the same time giving time to oneself and other family members. If there is an emergency situation where family support alone would not work, consulting health professionals should be the most appropriate action. Gathering as much information about the illness, the treatments available and other resources, along with keeping handy the crisis numbers are some of the essentials.

Following are some of the resources available in India for seeking help for own or someone’s else mental health condition:

• Vandrevala Foundation- Nationwide helpline (24×7) contact 1800 2333 330, 1860 2662 345; contact the team through email: help@vandrevalafoundation.com

• Banyan Mental Health NGO- iCall Psychosocial Phone/E-mail Helpline (8am-10pm; Mon-Sat): +91 (22) 25521111

Email: icall@tiss.edu

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REFERENCES:

Brain Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-disorders#types

Families, friends & carers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sane.org/information-stories/facts-and-guides/292-families-friends-carers

Synapse – reconnecting lives. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://synapse.org.au/information-services/introduction-to-brain-disorders.aspx

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/GM5Yn5XRVqA

ANOREXIA RECOVERY – an account of Evanna Lynch

Evanna Lynch is famously known for her reel life and spellbinding portrayal of Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series. In real life she is known as vegan activist, voice actress and narrator. Rise to fame and voicing out didn’t come to her so easily though.

Her childhood, was particularly a tough one due to her experiences with Anorexia Nervosa. It is a form of an eating disorder that results in unhealthy, often dangerous weight loss. While it is most common among adolescent women, anorexia can affect women and men of all ages and is characterized by a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. From the age of 11, Evanna was in and out of rehabilitation clinics for two years. Stating that the disorder “consumed” her, she explained that it was a way of getting attention that she could control. To her, she felt as though the punishment of being hungry and cold all day made her feel worthy.

She was able to overcome her disorder after finally finding a connection with the character she would later play; she was inspired by how Luna’s character embraced her own oddities. Becoming pen pals with JK Rowling in between her hospital visits, Evanna shared that her (Rowling’s) books and kindness made her want to live again. “I loved the feeling of creating and acting, more than I loved the feeling of being skinny or of being perfect.”

Evanna penned an essay in which she described her emotional struggle with her appearance and how she managed to overcome this struggle. She argued that while the mind is where ideas are made, it is the body that is the means of making those ideas a reality.

“Serve your body well, and it will serve you well” has been her motto ever since.

Social Media and Body Image – an account of Sophie Turner

Sophie Turner, famous for her role as Sansa Stark in the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, is adored by the Internet for enjoying life and being goofy along with her newly-wed husband, Joe Jonas. But very few know of her mental illness during the past couple of years.

In an interview for Marie Claire Australia, she mentioned that in her teen years, her metabolism fell and she started to gain weight while on camera. For someone to be constantly noticed for her appearance, she had to listen to a lot of remarks all through her teen years. On Dr. Phil McGraw’s podcast Phil in the Blanks (April, 2019) Turner shared some of the comments she would receive. “People used to say, ‘Damn, Sansa gained 10 pounds,’ or ‘Damn, Sansa needs to lose 10 pounds,’ or ‘Sansa got fat,’” she said.

“It was just a lot of weight comments, or I would have spotty skin because I was a teenager and that’s normal.” She also revealed that she let these comments affect her, and she suffered from depression for more than 5 years. Turner noted that while social media wasn’t necessarily a cause of her depression, it was a “catalyst.” The resulting depression manifested in sense of self-consciousness, and lack of motivation; Turner had a hard time getting out of bed, and once contemplated suicide. With the help of her now-husband Jonas and therapy, she was able to work through it.

“Everyone needs a therapist, especially when people are constantly telling you you’re not good enough and you don’t look good enough,” she told Marie Claire.

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illegal Trafficking: Rationale and History and Awareness

On 7 December 1987, the United Nations General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. Supported each year by individuals, communities and various organizations all over the world, the day aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. (United Nations).

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is an effort of the United Nations aimed at strengthening action and spreading awareness about drug abuse and illegal drug trade in the world. Individual, organizations and societies across the globe support this initiative by creating awareness about how major a problem drug abuse is. This year’s theme is Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe (United Nations).

Given the increased incidence of drug abuse in the youth and kids, it is important to listen to them first. This initiative aims at increasing support for science-based prevention of drug use and invests more on the well-being of kids, youngsters and their families. This day recognizes the serious effect that drug abuse and illicit trafficking has on our health, security, peace and development. Over 190,000 people deal with illicit trafficking each year. But that’s not all; it has a long-lasting damage on your health. It can increase your risk of HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis (DoctorNDTV, 2018).

On this day, the United Nations is committed to peacefully addressing the challenges posed by illicit trafficking and drug abuse. Keeping the international drug control conventions in mind, they continue to fight the battle against drug abuse keeping the health and welfare of the people in mind.

REFERENCES:

United Nations, International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 26 June. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/events/drugabuseday/

DoctorNDTV. (2018). International Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking: Significance And Theme. NDTV. Retrieved from https://www.ndtv.com/health/international-day-against-drug-abuse-and-illicit-trafficking-significance-and-theme-1873518

INDIA CONSISTENTLY LISTED AS THE LEAST HAPPY NATION

The World Happiness report released by the United Nations annually since 2012 and measured 156 countries in terms of happiness by economic and social factors and ranks them accordingly. India’s ranking in the index is constantly declining each year, making it one of the saddest countries in the world. India has dropped down seven rankings in 2019 as compared to 2018. India currently holds 140th position as per the World Happiness report.

The neighboring countries of India are way ahead in the ranking of the happiness index. India is the most unhappy among all the SAARC nations; in fact, the terror-stricken neighbor, Pakistan also enjoys a higher ranking of 75 on the list. The index determines the happiness level of a country on various factors, that include life expectancy, social support, income, freedom to make choices, trust, health, and generosity among others. It ranks countries based on how happy the citizens of the country perceived themselves to be. Despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the most powerful SAARC nation, India lags behind. The lower ranking exposes a deep-seated flaw in the social foundation. India has failed to build a trustworthy social support system. The country that ranks highest in the list are Norway, Finland, Denmark. These although lack vast natural resources but are the beneficiaries of the least corrupt social welfare system. “The data offers the world’s governments and individuals the opportunity to rethink public policies and individual life choices, to raise happiness and well being”, said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the sustainable development solutions network. “We are in an era of rising tensions and negative emotions and these findings point to underlying challenges that need to be addressed” Sajan (2018).

In conclusion, the fragile and corrupt social structure of the country and poor social support system not only affects the community of citizens at large but also has an impact on each individual’s life and their mental health in some way or another. This index brings to our notice the need to further the mental health of our country, especially now more than ever.

REFERENCES:-

TNN (2019). Indians are unhappy a lot. “Times of India”.

Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india-is-unhappy-ranks-behind-pakistan/articleshow/63315240.cms

Sajan, T. (2018). The great Indian happiness tragedy. “Business line”

Link: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/the-great-indian-happiness-tragedy-ep/article23384587.ece

Bloom, L. (2019). Ranked: 10 happiest and 10 saddest countries in the world. “Forbes”

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2019/03/25/ranked-10-happiest-and-10-saddest-countries-in-the-world/#70a55ab06374

Dear Church, Mental Health is Not a Problem!!

‘‘Pray about it. Have faith in it.” – is a common saying that the church leaders say to their followers. Prayers can change lives, heal relationships, solve problems, but they are only one side of the coin.

Despite the fact that pastors are often the first responders that people turn to when they face a crisis, talking openly about mental illness still is a struggle within the Christian community. Mental illness is considered to be a result of a sin, curse, or demon possession. This stigmatizes, isolates and brings shame to those who are struggling with mental illness. As a result, people have learnt to deal with mental health issues privately not telling anyone at Church about what they are going through due to the fear of being stigmatized, condemned, misconstrued, or even rejected.

Recently, Carlos A. Rodríguez a pastor raised his voice against the church’s attitude towards mental health. He addressed this issue, by sharing his own journey of how he battled with his depression with the help of professional care which is considered to be ‘anti-christian.’

Therapy helped him to manage his anger, improve his moods and take ownership of his own situations. It also helped him change his behavior as a husband and improve his relationship with his wife.

Religion often wants to control our mindset and how people heal. And yes, spiritual maturity is important to fix broken hearts and change scenarios. But it is also important to seek professional help for long term well-being. Hence, it is crucial that we understand that there needs to be a balance that religion has to strike with professional help when it comes to mental health and healing.

References

1. Dear Church, Let’s Talk About Mental Health. (n.d.).
   Retrieved from https://thehappygivers.com/blogs/faith-culture/dear-church-lets-talk-about-mental-health

2. Stigma of Mental Illness ‘Still Real’ Inside the Church, Life Way Research Reveals. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.christianpost.com/news/stigma-of-mental-illness-still-real-inside-the-church-lifeway-research-reveals.html

Relationship Trauma

We all may have heard about the term “PTSD”…and may or may not know what it signifies! It is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event and is most commonly associated with warfare. But this debilitating condition can happen to anyone who has experienced or witnessed trauma. It could be a result of a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist attack, sudden death of a loved one, personal assaults such as rape, or other life-threatening events. In intimate relationships too both men and women are equally susceptible to trauma. There have been various studies investigating emotional and physical abuse against women, a few also focus on emotional abuse against men. Karakurt et al. examined how other individual characteristics, such as age, were associated with gender in influencing emotional abuse above and beyond its main effects. Results of the study indicated significant interaction effects between age and gender.

Gender moderated the path from age to emotional abuse for males. Younger men reported experiencing the most emotional abuse, and this declined with age. Older females experienced the least amount of emotional abuse—comparable to older males. Overall, emotional abuse was more common in younger participants. Younger women experienced the highest rates of isolation than men (Karakurt et al., 2013) as per the study.

Whether the victim is a male or a female, they lose their sense of worth and ability to protect themselves in subsequent relationships. The victims of emotional abuse continuously suffer from self-destructive symptoms which resemble those of post-traumatic stress disorder victims. These include anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, guilt, blame, shame, helplessness etc. The study by Beck et al. explored the association of shame and guilt with PTSD among women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Sixty-three women were assessed by a research clinic serving the mental health needs of women IPV survivors. Results indicated that shame, guilt-related distress, and guilt-related cognitions showed significant associations with PTSD (Beck et al., 2011).

Humans are social animals who cannot survive alone. From birth to death we are dependent on others for our survival. The relationships we form in our life can either be sustaining and nurturing and promote personal growth, development and health, or can be abusive, destructive and traumatic. In today’s time we are surrounded by abuse and violence.

Domestic violence and abuse is one of the most frequent crimes in our nation and probably one of the most under reported crimes. Research points out that healthy and positive relationships result in a positive mental and physical health, while the abusive, restrictive and destructive relationships may deeply impair our Mental and Physical Health.

Sexual, physical or severe emotional abuse often has long lasting and devastating effects on the victim. If left untreated this trauma can lead to permanent disability, causing intense psychological distress and detachment from the society and self. VanderVoort and Rokach described this specific syndrome resulting from trauma that occurred in the context of an emotionally intimate relationship, entitled Posttraumatic Relationship Syndrome. Posttraumatic Relationship Syndrome can thus be defined as an anxiety disorder that occurs subsequent to the experience of physical, emotional, or sexual trauma in the context of an emotionally intimate relationship. The characterized PTRS as having four major symptoms- a) initial response (intense fear/terror or horror and rage at the perpetrator) b) intrusive symptoms (which include re-experiencing the trauma in images, thoughts etc. and extreme psychological distress) c) carousel symptoms (such as weight loss, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, insomnia) d) relational symptoms (Not feeling safe in the world, Mistrust and fear of intimate relationships etc.).

Therefore, PTRS is as real as PTSD and it applies to those who have suffered physical, sexual, or severe emotional abuse in an intimate relationship, and display the above symptoms. Although the degree of trauma experienced by each individual is different per case, however, if the symptoms lead to dysfunction in daily life, and cause problems in regular functioning, it is essential to seek professional support for the same. More power to survivors of PTRS. We stand in support of you!

References

1. Beck, J. G., McNiff, J., Clapp, J. D., Olsen, S. A., Avery, M. L., & Hagewood, J. H. (2011). Exploring negative emotion in women experiencing intimate partner violence: Shame, guilt, and PTSD. Behavior therapy, 42(4), 740-750.

2. Karakurt, G., & Silver, K. E. (2013). Emotional abuse in intimate relationships: the role of gender and age. Violence and victims, 28(5), 804–821.

3. Vandervoort, D., & Rokach, A. (2004). Abusive relationships: Is a new category for traumatization needed? Current Psychology, 23(1), 68-76.

ON SURVIVING DEPRESSION – an account of Shaheen Bhatt

Shaheen Bhatt, inadvertently known as the elder sister to Alia Bhatt, and daughter of Mahesh Bhatt, is a screenwriter and the author of “I’ve never been (un) happier”. Going through the pages, she takes the reader on a journey about how it feels like living with depression, the emotional ups and downs, the everyday struggles and the social stigma, all through the perspective of a person born of privilege.

At a young age of 18 years, Shaheen was diagnosed with depression, quite shocking for people who still associate mental health issues with privilege. However, as per her experience, she shares it was at a tender age of 13 when she started sharing her space with depression and has been suicidal on more than one occasions.

In her book, she quotes and further tries to conveys how she started with her journey of healing and acceptance, – “We want everything to be permanent—relationships, love, beauty, youth, happiness. But the truth is permanence is an illusion, and like everything else in life happiness also comes and goes. Trying to be happy forever is like trying to stop water from slipping through your fingers. It’s not possible, and the only way forward is to realize and accept it.”

In a recent interview of hers, she opened about her thoughts and experiences on living with depression coming from her being body shamed. Sharing one such incident she opened about her being ridiculed for being dark skinned which further traumatized her.

She has been blessed with a loving and caring family to support her and take care of her through thick and thin. Through her book, she aims to end the stigma around mental illnesses and glorification of depression and anxiety by making more awareness.

Here’s to hoping more such people opening about their experiences!

Sophie Turner talks about her depression

“It only started to go downhill, I think when I started to hit puberty and I was gaining weight, and then there was the social media scrutiny and everything.” says Sophie Turner on the podcast with Dr. Phil.

Sophie Turner, popularly known as Sansa Stark and now the Queen in the North of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, opens up about her experience of being in front of the camera at a very young age. All of this limelight, eventually led her to develop body image issues and she talked about how she personally overcame all of it.

Revealing further she shared how she suffered with depression for five to six years, wherein she was unable to get out of bed and leave the house for days.

She explains that in her case, social media played a very important role in the same. When asked by Dr. Phil, “Did social media cause you to get depressed?” Turner expresses how one negative comment would make her throw away everything in comparison to 10 other positive comments.

Understanding the need of the hour and how social media plays an essential role in everyone’s life today, Turner, thus decided to open up and come forward to share her story. It is empowering to see many celebrities especially known at such a global level, openly sharing their stories of mental health issues and how they came out of it. We thank them for this!

References:

Trammell, K. (2019). Sophie Turner says she dealt with depression during ‘Game of Thrones.’ CNN Entertainment. Link: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/16/entertainment/sophie-turner-game-of-thrones-depression-trnd/index.html

Davies, M. (2019). Sophie Turner says she suffered from depression following attacks from Game of Thrones trolls. Digital Spy. Link: https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a27196666/game-of-thrones-trolls-sophie-turner-suffered-depression/

How Dr. Payal Tadvi’s suicide highlights the danger that University Spaces can be for the marginalised in India

Dr. Payal Tadvi. Credit: Facebook

26-year-old Payal Tadvi, an oppressed caste Muslim gynaecologist, committed suicide in Mumbai on 22nd May. She had earlier in the day reported extreme harassment to her mother via a phone call.

For several months, Dr. Payal was being harassed by three Savarna women doctors. They allegedly went to the toilet and then wiped their feet on her bed, called her casteist slurs, made fun of her for being a tribal on WhatsApp groups and threatened to not allow her to enter operation theatres or perform deliveries. A few hours before she took her life, she had reportedly told her mother, once again, about this harassment.

Tadvi’s husband Salman Tadvi filed a verbal complaint with the gynaecology unit head Y.I. Ching Ling on May 13. But the harassment continued, with the seniors threatening Tadvi, saying they will ensure that she does not graduate to the third year, the family claims.

Apparently the 3 seniors had the unit head’s support.

The remarks directed against her were on the lines of, “these caste people do not know anything”, and “she came in through caste quota”.

Tadvi’s institutional and structural murder as I would like to call it, highlights a disturbing trend of extreme casteism and dominance of the Brahmin-Dvija castes in University Spaces in India. Payal is not the only case. Delta Meghawal, Rohit Vemula, Muthukrishnan Jeevanantham all speak the same stories.

The prevalence of caste-based discrimination in Indian universities has been an open secret for decades. An RTI revealed how most of the students expelled from IIT-Kanpur are from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. A recent news portal revealed how Dalit PhD students are being forced to clean toilets in Banaras Hindu University. And medical schools have had the worst cases of casteism. In 2007, a committee set up in AIIMS, headed by former UGC chair, Sukhdeo Thorat, found prevalence of informal segregation in the AIIMS hostels, with SC/ST students being forced to shift into certain hostels following harassment, abuse and violence by dominant caste students. SC/ST students reported that they faced social isolation in dining rooms, on sports fields and at cultural events. They also faced discrimination by professors in the form of contempt and non-cooperation. Similar has been the case in premier institutions like IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay. All of these experiences impact the mental health of Dalit-Bahujan and Adivasi students which is very structural in nature.

A research conducted in University spaces in Delhi highlighted how the experiences differed on campus when it came to students from oppressed sections, with all of them facing casteism and sexism in the classrooms, and usage of harsh words like “scarred for life” to describe their mental health. Few respondents mentioned how brahmin-dvija castes boasted their caste in class which made them feel victimised and uncomfortable and it indirectly affected their communication skills.

Most colleges do not have a functional SC/ST cell or counselors sensitised to caste issues, and in a space dominated by Savarnas (after reservations) the apathy could not have been lesser. With Savarna “merit” crusaders harassing them and occupying most of the College societies, departments and even protest spaces, and the University administration being completely insensitive and encouraging this discrimination, the oppressed, in a degenerative support system, obviously get overwhelmed and take a step similar to that of Dr.Payal and Rohit.

Divya Kandukuri, a freelance journalist and an anti-caste activist highlighted on the show Prime Time with Ravish Kumar, aired on 29th May, as to how the principal of LSR responded to complaints of students complaining about “inadequate” professors, saying, “what do we do, we have to hire professors from the reserved category”. She also highlighted how the Savarna students use casteist language in their daily life while being completely ignorant of the impact that it has on SC, ST and OBC students. Usage of words like “Chamaar”, “Bhangi”, “Dhobi”, “Kamina”, “Kanjar”, etc., are deeply casteist, and are directly specific to caste communities, and using their identity as an everyday slur.

So traumatic are the experiences, that most students facing this structural abuse drop out, or have severe mental health issues that last many years and interfere with their day-to-day functioning.

It is an irony how the seemingly caste-unconscious urban elite, claiming to solely judge people on the basis of “merit” (also completely a socially constructed idea), partake in systematic discrimination at all levels in all spaces- Universities, public spaces, social media, etc. Unless we do not engage in more conversations about Savarna privilege, do not shout “Merit, merit!” while bribing University officials for admissions, and unless we do not encourage support groups like The Blue Dawn created by Divya Kandukuri to provide a safe mental health space for the marginalised group, Dr. Payal’s institutional murder will not be the last one on University Spaces in India.

References

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/payal-was-the-first-doctor-in-our-family/article27257250.ece

2. https://www.dnaindia.com/india/photo-gallery-won-t-let-you-perform-deliveries-tragic-tale-of-tribal-doctor-dr-payal-tadvi-in-mumbai-who-committed-suicide-2753848

3. https://thewire.in/caste/payal-tadvi-harassment-caste-discrimination

4. https://thewire.in/caste/the-more-indias-elite-claims-to-be-caste-mukt-the-less-we-should-believe-them

5. https://thewire.in/caste/caste-medicine-student-privilege-merit

6. https://thewire.in/caste/india-universities-caste-discrimination

7. https://thewire.in/caste/two-more-doctors-arrested-for-allegedly-abetting-payal-tadvis-suicide

8. https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/11/iit-kanpur-expelled-students-hundred-percent-reserved-category/

9. Prime Time with Ravish Kumar, 29th May 2019: https://youtu.be/M8Zx-DUpus4