Mental Health Decoded: What You Need to Know

Have you heard people saying, “I need a mental health break?” But what is mental health? What determines mental health? 
Mental health concerns and awareness have both risen in the recent past. Astonishingly, the 2024-25 Economic Survey mentioned that 1 in 5 individuals experience mental health issues and that about 72 – 92 per cent go untreated. Not only the pandemic, but post-COVID also saw a huge rise in mental health issues. A study in 2024 says about 40 per cent teenagers experience mental health concerns related to depression and anxiety. Some of the reasons stated in the survey include academic stress, social isolation, economic stress, and a significant treatment gap. In order to address this, we as professors from the Psychology department, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), draw a biological, psychological and social picture of mental health and some tips to take care of mental health and signs to identify if you need professional help.

Biologically speaking, every function depends on billions of nerve cells, known as neurons. These cells constantly communicate with one another. When this function happens seamlessly, the mind is at ease. When it is disturbed, mental health conditions occur. Let us say the brain is a circuit and the lights are flickering in their own rhythm. Each illumination represents a signal being passed throughout the collection of neurons, which could be the seat that controls mood, memory, sleep, motivation, and attention. Mental health disorders are an outward manifestation of disturbances in these areas. 

Some of these changes occur in a transient manner, reflecting one's mood. However, the persistent and pervasive alteration could cause conditions like depression and anxiety.  These areas involved in maintaining the mood and reward are often found to be less active. Chemical messengers like serotonin and dopamine may also be imbalanced, which impedes one's ability to feel pleasure and happiness even when life and life events appear normal. On the other hand, anxiety disorders follow another mechanism. Scientists have found that the brain’s threat-detection system becomes hyper-reactive, which triggers a whole series of constant alarm signals. One may now understand why anxiety can cause restlessness, a racing heartbeat, and persistent worry without a perceptible threat.

Moving on to some more severe conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, these involve disruptions in how each area coordinates with the others. Thus, it affects perception, emotional control, and judgment. Brain scans are making it increasingly understandable about these features that underpin illnesses, making it apparent that they are real medical conditions and not merely failures of character or willpower.

Psychologically speaking, our emotional, motivational, cognitive and behavioural aspects determine our mental health.
Emotionally, the way we feel and our response to these feelings determine our emotional health.  Under this, whether we are aware of our feelings or not, our capacity to regulate, respond, and cope with different situations determines our emotional well-being. Additionally, our attachment styles, whether we can bounce back, and our ability to feel and understand what others are going through, act as positive resources in our emotional equipage. 

Further, our ability to set goals, our belief about ourselves, energy level, perseverance, autonomy, and hope are some of the aspects that determine motivational aspects of mental health. It also impacts how an individual engages themselves in therapy, recovers from an illness, interacts, copes, and succeeds.

Cognitively, our interpretation, thought patterns (“future is hopeless”), attention (focused and sustained), memory functioning, problem-solving, flexible thinking, decision-making, and perception (including delusions and hallucinations) determine our cognitive health. It impacts our interpretation of emotions, motivation, how we cope and outcomes of psychotherapeutic treatment.

Behaviourally, coping behaviour (adaptive /maladaptive patterns), social interaction (e.g. withdrawal), lifestyle habits (sleeping, eating, substance use and personal hygiene), help-seeking behaviour, and daily functioning (going to school/work, grooming, time management), impulse control, risk taking and treatment adherence determine behavioural health. It is an observable component of our psychological affairs and is also a crucial component in assessment and diagnosis.

Healthy functioning of each of these components is necessary for our mental well-being.

Socially examining mental health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that mental health is the state of well-being which enables an individual to cope with the stresses of life, realising their abilities and making use of their full potential in contributing to society. If this definition is considered in its literary essence, there is absolute reason to be sceptical about anyone having good mental health. It may be observed that in the expeditious way that life is going on today, no one can pause, sit and reflect and realise on what their abilities and strengths are. All human beings desire to be accepted and meet the expectations of significant others. Any form of rejection or discreditation by members of the community to which the individual belonged had a huge impact on their mental health. So, people were striving to be accepted, applauded and acknowledged.

This was the essential requisite people had before the advent of the internet and social media. The virtual world is a distinct society in itself, which influences the individuals’ actions, behaviour and mental health in such subtle ways that the person is unable to register. Today, the ‘reel life’ has also become important alongside real life. Individuals seek pleasure in their posts being ‘liked’, ‘commented upon’ and ‘shared’. So, the physical society that influenced the mental health by bringing in low self-esteem, depression, anxiety and low self-worth in individuals has now evolved into a virtual one and its impact on mental health is seen in the form of poor sleep, increased loneliness, behavioural problems, difficulty in emotional regulation, screen addiction, etc.

Lack of physical exercise as a result of increased screen time is the causal factor for an increase in physical health issues as well. All these issues limit the individual in limiting their potential to effectively contribute to society. In short, it can be said that society is self-sabotaging on different levels. One, in terms of playing an active role in increasing mental health concerns indirectly, two, in that individuals plagued by mental health issues are far less likely to make an effective contribution towards the growth and well-being of the individual and third, the promotion of taboos concerning mental health issues.

Despite society being changed from a physical one into a virtual one, there are certain norms that have not changed. Among them, things like relationships, culture and social support are vital in influencing the mental health conditions of individuals. Though culture has become a global one today, one’s geographical roots still have a strong say in how people perceive problems and difficult situations. It is very observable that people belonging to different cultures react differently to similar situations. Some communities might be so strong that the individual has no hesitancy in reaching out for help, thus mitigating any form of indignity or any such thing that has the potential to cause mental health disturbances. There are, on the other hand, cultures that do not promote help-seeking seeking and this could impact the individual’s confidence and mental strength when they are confronted with a crisis. 

Whatever culture or community an individual might belong to, interpersonal relationships are inescapable. In fact, healthy human connections or relationships are essential in the promotion of sound mental health as humans thrive in acceptance, understanding and support. Sadly, today, relationships have ceased to be genuine, with many being transactional in nature. This has a significant consequence, as evidenced by an increase in the number of people presenting with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, all because of relationship issues.

It is well accepted in society and even applauded when one gets a preventive or early intervention for a physical health issue. The same is not the case when someone presents with a mental health concern. People are looked down upon in different ways when they present with mental health issues. They may be regarded as people with low mental strength or people who are incapable of thinking straight. This attitude of the society results in the taboo regarding mental health problems and makes it difficult for people to acknowledge the issues they are facing and take appropriate action for treatment of the same.

What are some signs to take professional help for mental health?

a.  Persistent difficult emotions – sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, panic, mood swings (more than 2 weeks)
b. Changes in perception and thinking – negative intrusive thoughts, excessive worry, rumination, difficulty concentrating, memory issues, paranoia (excessive doubt), hearing/seeing things that others do not
c. Behavioural changes -social withdrawal/isolation, excessive or poor sleeping and eating, impulsive behaviours (substance abuse, self-harm)
d. Physical symptoms with no medical cause – stomach ache, headache, and rapid heart rate
e. Issues with daily functioning- decline in performance in academic or occupational settings, poor hygiene, not being able               to complete tasks, and inability to manage responsibilities
f. Thoughts of self-harm /suicide- thoughts, plans and attempts
g. Relationship or social issues- frequent conflicts, inability to maintain relationships, withdrawal
h. Increased dependence on substance – to cope with stress/reality or to numb emotions
i. Trauma – grief, abuse. assault, natural disaster
j. Temporal aspect – for more than weeks, months
 
As much as it sounds frightening, there is reason for hope. The brain is remarkably adaptable; this is known as plasticity. Medications can help restore the delicate balance of chemical signals, while psychotherapy strengthens healthier brain circuits through learning and experience, which arise from consciously retraining the brain. While it is advised that you seek professional help when you notice persistent issues in functioning, we are also providing some mental health tips that can help with minor ups and downs that we all go through in our daily lives.

Here are some mental health tips -

a. Journaling- Note your thoughts, feelings, triggers and your response to become more self-aware
b. Spend time with close ones - talk to trusted friends, family and your close ones who are empathetic and boost you
c. Physical activity - Any kind of physical activity, such as exercise, dance, walking stretching for a minimum of 20 minutes, boosts your mood
d. Sleep and eat right - Make sure you get at least 7-9 hours of sleep and eat mindfully. A Balanced, nutritious diet and good sleep will add to our mood.
e. Limit screen time - a digital detox can give me time, which will further provide time for mastery (doing things that I am good at) and also time to reflect, be aware, and thereby provide mental clarity.
f. Seek help when needed - seek professional help as soon as you notice signs that indicate you need help.
g. Be kind and practise relaxation techniques - reduce criticisms, celebrate small wins, deep breathing, guided meditation, guided imagery, and listening to calming music.

This article aims to make the topic more accessible to all and replace stigma with science and empathy. We must handle mental health with the same gravitas as physical illness by caring, uplifting, encouraging non-judgmental open conversations, and standing in solidarity with those who struggle. Protecting mental health can no longer be just personal, but it ought to be a shared public responsibility.