Recently, music composer A R Rahman spoke of having felt suicidal till the age of 25. His revelation is another instance of Indian celebrities opening up to speak about their mental health. Actor Deepika Padukone has started an organisation to raise awareness about mental health while others like Rahman and actor Revathy have supported outfits that work in that field. Mental health in India is only slowly gaining the recognition it deserves. Respected celebrities speaking about their experiences with mental health issues only adds to public understanding and sensitivity.
Too often, the response to suicide is reduced to a reflection of a person’s strength or weakness. Rahman, by speaking up about his experiences, has opened a door to a conversation on why people may feel suicidal and how we can help reach out to those who do. After all, no one can call him a ‘loser’ or a ‘weakling’. What caused him distress, in his own telling, was the loss of his father at a young age. Consider the scores of Indians who do not have the privilege of Rahman or Padukone, who may not even have the language or ability to articulate their distress.
Rahman’s account comes at a time when people with mental illness are protected and empowered by the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. However, these rights are not always guaranteed to the poorest of citizens.
While Rahman and Padukone have done valuable service in opening up to show that persons with mental illness are not so different, are not unemployable, that they are just like everyone else, it is important that we also recognise that mental illness does require care, that access to services are restricted for many, that those who access care are at risk of overmedication or hospitalisation without recourse to rehabilitation and that caregivers lack support. A mental healthcare policy exists, the law leads the way. It is up to the citizens to demand that governments meet the needs with funding and action.