Raising awareness about Bipolar Disorder

bowej637
Apr 1, 2016
3 min read

After Yo Yo Honey Singh revealed that he was bipolar on March 15, for the rest of the morning, I received calls, messages and emails about this. This is a grim reminder of the times we live in. Usually, our favourite TV comedian catching the flu is bigger news than the dark statistic that fifteen million Indians suffer from Bipolar Disorder— some diagnosed, most untreated. 10% of them will end their lives by committing suicide.

Readers of this fortnightly column might be conversant with the term Bipolar Disorder to begin with because, in India, awareness about major mental illnesses is otherwise very thin. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterised by extreme mood changes, from dark depression to euphoric behaviour (mania) with normal periods thrown in. 'Normalcy' is the phase when one tries to make sense of it all. With moods, energy also dips and rises like a yo-yo, focus and concentration become difficult and simple tasks begin to appear challenging. After the flights of mania, when caution is thrown to the wind, the subsequent crash landing marked by depression can be destructive. It completely shatters the confidence of the one afflicted, leading to setbacks in career and relationships. The management of the condition is also a challenging area because of the paucity of psychiatrists in India. Just about 5000 of them in this vast nation! Social taboo and stigma associated with any mental illness are a barrier people with bipolar and their families must first overcome in order to seek help from medical professionals. Adherence to treatment, in all probability lifelong, is the biggest negative for the patient. Medical insurance does not cover expenses incurred on account of any mental illness. You see, not quite a walk in the park. What can we do about this is the moot point. In May 2013, Bipolarindia.com became the very first online community set up by a bipolar to spread awareness about the disorder, depression and ways to overcome them. Since then we have made rapid strides. While initially most of the site visits were from abroad and so were the comments, there has been a dramatic shift in recent times. Conversations have begun and people have openly shared their soul stirring stories on our site. From a one man army, our site is finally a thriving peer community unlike any other in India. We have gone offline too, beginning with monthly Peer Support Meets. To take the message much further, again for the first time in India, we are proud to host a major event to mark World Bipolar Day on March 30, 2016. This day is celebrated worldwide as the birth anniversary of the troubled genius Vincent Van Gogh, who was posthumously diagnosed as bipolar. The event will see peers exchange their experiences and interact with caregivers and thinkers from many walks of life, including psychiatrists, psychologists, alternative healing experts and thought leaders in the area of social change. I exhort the readers of this column to spread the message and participate in this public event. Entry is free for everyone. India, we must snatch this opportunity to spread awareness. Of course, it takes much more than one day or one event to make a dent in a problem so massive. Who says we intend to stop there? In fact, this day will also see the soft launch of a social initiative. The time has come to harness the rising momentum and deliver social impact. Let's walk together. The author is an Inspirational Storytelling Coach and Mind Wellness Catalyst.