When I asked people what mental health is, what comes in your mind when you hear about mental health, answers were symptoms of mental illness, such as insanity, violent behavior, or they talk about mental hospital, keeping the lunatics tied, giving electric shock, etc.
Then when I asked them what mental illness is, either they don’t answer, either they get confused between mental health and mental illness. Mental illness and Mental Health are different. There is curiosity among people but no one to clear their doubts. Mental health is how you think, feel, behave in your day-to-day life, how you react to problems, how you cope with them, if you are mentally healthy, you will be able to help others, you will be able to do work well and live a happy and balanced life.
Listening to this, people said that till now they used to think of mental health as mental illness, now they have understood what the difference between mental health and mental illness is and said that with support and training under this Mental Health Program “AAO BAAT KARE” they will spread awareness on mental health in their community.
Danish Khatoon Hussain
Program coordinator-Mental Health
Chhattisgarh Agricon Samiti