In 2018, Times of India reported that there were 150 million people in need of professional help for their mental health disorders. But only 30 million people seek for any such services. Social stigma towards people with mental illness has been found as one of the important reasons for the same.
Stigmas towards mentally sick people and those who receive psychological help are prevalent in India. Various empirical studies with different social contexts, ages and gender groups in India have similarly confi rmed this stigmatization (Böge et al., 2018, p. 24; Gaiha et al., 2020, p. 21; Jadhav et al., 2007, p. 189; Venkateshet al., 2015, p. 449). In 2015, National Crime Records Bureau found that the actual number of professionals who work in mental health department stands around 7000, when the country was in need of 55,000. Sadly, even in this shortage many experts in psychology leave our country. Social stigma associated with psychology has been one of the main reasons for the same.
There can be various reasons behind this stigma. In a collectivistic society like India, relationships are valued more than individuals’ autonomy and privacy. In such an environment, people will be reluctant to seek psychological help, fearing a lack of social approval (Chadda & Deb, 2013, pp. 300–301). Social rejection based on an illness would prevent people to express their need for such a help. People fi nd it as normal to cross the boundaries of privacy of an individual who seeks for psychological help even to satisfy one’s own curiosity.
Erroneous perceptions cause stigmas generally (Arboleda-Flórez, 2002, pp. 25–26), and in India psychology and counselling are often misunderstood and undervalued (Carson & Chowdhury, 2000, p. 389). The ‘Live Love Laugh Foundation’ conducted a study among 3556 Indians in 2018 about their perception towards mental illness. Many had feelings like sympathy, fear, hatred, anger and even apathy towards mentally sick people. More empathetic attitude towards people suffering out of mental illness would lessen the social stigma and encourage people to approach a mental health expert when one is in such a need.
In such cultures where psychology is negatively stigmatized, people also would approach psychologists with apprehension. It would create a lot of defenses towards the therapeutic process from the patients, which would reduce the positive results.
Education has an important role in reducing any stigma. More efforts are needed from the government to address this social stigma within the systematic school education. Media also has an important role in creating realistic social opinions. Feature fi lms making fun of mentally ill people would add reasons to the social stigma towards mentally ill people. On the contrary, movies which explore realistically the process of psychological treatment and therapy would create a rather neutral as well as positive approach towards psychology
– Fr.Jo Paul Kiriyanthan