Mental Health Accessibility: Is Mental Health Care Equally Accessible to All People?

Mental health is defined as a condition of well-being in which a person recognizes his or her abilities, can work creatively and fruitfully, can manage everyday stressors, and can contribute to his or her community. 

In fact, to spread awareness about mental peace, World Mental Health Day is celebrated on the 10th of October every year. 

How we think, feel, and act is influenced by our sanity. Our, psychological, emotional, and social well-being are all included. 

It also affects our social connections, decision-making, and stress management. Mental health is crucial at all stages of life, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

Role Of Social Inequalities in Shaping Mental Health:

Mental Healthcare and Financial Status

According to recent research, many common mental health concerns are largely determined by social and economic structures within a society. Higher rates of depression are closely associated with lower socioeconomic status (SES).

Researchers have also found a bilateral relationship between socioeconomic conditions and mental health concerns. 

A mental health disorder adversely impacts an individual's earning capacity and employment status, which leads to a worsened economic situation and higher risks of mental illness.

In addition, children, and adolescents with low socioeconomic status have twice as much risk of developing mental health problems as those with higher SES.

Oxfam India found that 80% of healthcare in India is provided by the private sector, making mental health care unaffordable for the underprivileged. They claim that 63 million people are pushed into poverty every year because of health care costs.

Mental Health and Other Marginalised Communities

Mental Health and Religion

Minority communities are more likely to develop mental health issues. According to researchers, Muslims are more likely than upper-caste Hindus to experience sadness and anxiety. 

This is the case even after controlling for assets, age, expenditure, education, state of residence, and rural residence.

The unfavourable socio-political climate in which some communities live can exacerbate pre-existing mental health disorders and cause emotional upheaval in those who live there. 

Some communities live in hostile socio-political environments, which can exacerbate mental health conditions and trigger an emotional upheaval in residents. 

Increasing violent crimes against minority communities, the rise in lynching, and protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act have created a tense and fearful atmosphere for religious minorities. 

To make mental health more accessible, isn't it time to acknowledge the deeply ingrained biases against marginalized communities as contributing factors to poor mental health outcomes?                          

Mental Health and Caste

Studies have repeatedly found that members of marginalized castes are at a much higher risk of experiencing chronic illnesses, specifically mental health issues. 

Moreover, researchers have shown that when a woman from the Dalit caste is victimized by violence, she lacks the essential financial and social support to seek much-needed mental health care. 

Aside from the issue of access to care, research shows that psychotherapy has a restricted scope when it comes to addressing the particular experiences of persons from marginalized castes.

Mental health frameworks need to be more inclusive of the systemic realities of persons from marginalized castes' lived experiences.

Mental Health and Sexual Orientation

India has a population of 1.4 billion people. We have a diverse population in terms of sexual identity, in addition to cultural and socioeconomic diversity.

According to data from Ipsos (an international research organization), 3% of Indians identify as homosexual, 9% as bisexual, 1% as pansexual, and 2% as asexual in 2021.

Surprisingly, 17% of respondents do not identify as heterosexual (excluding 'do not know' and 'prefer not to answer). 

However, given the shame and discrimination associated with homosexuality in India, many people are inclined to conceal their genuine identities.

Members of sexual minority groups are subjected to chronic psychosocial stress in the setting of pervasive prejudice, discrimination, and stigma in their social contexts, according to Meyer's Minority Stress Theory.

Social, religious, and cultural traditions, as well as rigid ideals of masculinity and femininity, exacerbate the situation in India. Despite an obvious manifestation of their gender, trans women are frequently admitted to male wards, according to reports. 

According to reports, transgender people forgo free government healthcare in favour of self-medication or private care. 

Women from sexual minority groups also believe there is a considerable stigma associated with mental illness, which prevents them from seeking help.

Furthermore, unpleasant medical procedures or non-inclusive services that have resulted in traumatic experiences can dissuade people from seeking help. 

When we think about mental health in an uneven environment, we must remember that inequality also exists in terms of sexual identity and orientation.

Written By- Megha Jain