June is celebrated as Pride month each year. It is a period when members of the LGBTQIA+ community, at least in urban areas, are supposed to feel special. The good part about this is that many people from the community are able to express and celebrate themselves. The not-talked-about-much part is what they have to deal with for the rest of the year or when the spotlight is not on them.
The problems the community faces in India are many and include:
- Lack of acceptance by family, friends and classmates / colleagues
- Inherent prejudice against the community
- Becoming targets of domestic and sexual violence
- Lack of access to proper medical care
- Being forced into prostitution due to poverty
- Marginalization
- Harassment
A common thread running through all this is the generally negative impact the above have on a person’s mental health which could also include reasons like:
- Adverse childhood events (ACEs) including abuse of any form, ill-treatment, hostile / unsafe environment for the child, etc.
- Bullying at school / work, online… at any place, in fact
- Pressure to conform to religious beliefs
According to a report published in Sage Journals (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2631831820918129), 52.9% of MSMs studied were ‘found to have some psychiatric morbidity.’
The unfortunate observation is that there are not sufficient studies in India about mental health related challenges members of the community face. Statistics included in the study show the extent and nature of various mental health challenges faced by a sample size of the community – the image attached gives more details and includes:
- Depression
- generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- suicidal thoughts and attempts
- Substance dependence and abuse (drugs and alcohol)
- Dysthymia
- Panic Disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Social phobia
- PTSD
- OCD
Given the above AND the prevalent stigma, what can one do at a personal level to help members of the community cope with their mental health challenges?
Some thoughts:
- At the very least, be more open minded
- Stop labeling and marginalizing your friend / family member / colleague / neighbour – be more accepting
- Respect the pronouns people wish to use
- Be open in your support to the community. Be an ally. This can make a huge difference to someone
- Celebrate members of the community as human beings and individuals beyond the Pride month
What other ways of support can you suggest? Do share in the comments.
And if you are from the community, do share how one can support your mental well-being.
This link (https://lgbtqindiaresource.in/helpline/) has various helpline numbers that address challenges related to mental health and other aspects. One such number is of Muktaa Charitable Foundation (788-788-9882).
Do keep in mind, ‘being straight but not narrow’ is nothing to feel proud about; it is the least one can be for fellow humans.
#MentalHealth #Pride #LGBT #helpline
This article was first published in LinkedIn here (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/deepa-vaishnavi_mentalhealth-pride-lgbt-activity-7211647755646042114-4Fbh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop)
