When it comes to the topic of mental health, our country still struggles with the social stigmas associated with the subject, without realizing the gravity of the situation and the need for it to be a priority.

According to Mental Health America, mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behaviour, resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines. With more than 200 classified forms of mental illness, the most common disorders include depression, bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders.

In order to disassociate the taboo around the subject and build a community where no one feels left out, 25-year-old assistant commissioning editor with a publishing house in Delhi, Namarita Kathait brings together everyone under one roof through her initiative The Listening Circle. Started in March 2018, Namarita’s initiative is supported by Bohr Foundation, a non-profit that she runs with her friend Jhilmil Breckenridge, a poet and mental health activist based in the UK.

With more than 20 sessions covered in Delhi and various other cities, The Listening Circle through various activities creates a safe space for expression for people living with depression and anxiety. “In the sessions, we do a lot of activity to stimulate the environment and make it lighter,” shared Namarita, who added that poetry, art, and writing are a big part of the circles.

As mental health conditions not only affect the person going through it but the caretakers as well, Namarita and Jhilmil brought out a book called Side Effects of Living: An Anthology of Voices on Mental Health that attempts to destigmatise mental health issues. The book describes what happens when the mind gives in or gives up, why does it happen, and can we do anything about it.

For Namarita, addressing the issue came about from her own experiences. She was only five years old when her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, that made Namarita a caregiver. “I also had to take responsibility of things that traditionally a mother would — like with my siblings,” she shared. “But I was still confused about what was going on, even when I was 14 or 15.”

I thought of how much easier our lives could be if we had more awareness. I don’t think I realised what my mother actually goes through as a person, till we spoke to her doctors. Later, every time she screamed at us, it all made sense to me,” she shared, adding that “just awareness, and letting the steam out, gave me empathy and a sense of purpose.”

H/T: The Hindu