World Mental Health Day was observed on October 10. Sumit Mittal, Founder, VentAllOut, a vernacular mental wellness platform, tells us what mental agility means to seniors.
Do seniors ignore their mental health and concentrate more on other health aspects?
Yes. And it’s a common phenomenon not just with seniors but everyone. You pay more attention to what’s physically evident. A mental condition isn’t visible. Even when you get your first symptoms you try to push the issue under the carpet. There’s so much social stigma attached to mental health. This needs to be talked about more, just like hypertension. People who have diabetes do not shy away while saying “Oh I can’t eat sweets as I have diabetes”. Then why not discuss mental health issues the same way?
What are the tell tale signs of a mental health condition?
We need to look at early signs. When an elderly person says things such as ‘I don’t get to sleep’ or ‘I don’t enjoy meeting people’ don’t take it as sign of old age. Rather these are signs of stress and anxiety. It is important to seek help if this is a consistent thing. Other signs to watch out for in seniors, is whether they are getting snappy, irritated, and having memory issues. It’s important to look for signs as early intervention can help. Society needs to accept that mental illness is a health hazard and needs to be taken in the same breath as any other health issue.
How can a senior take care of mental health?
Meditation helps in mental well-being. Try to memorise things rather than putting reminders on the phone. Develop a habit of writing things down. Journaling helps. Memorise phone numbers of at least five close friends or family members. Play Crossword or Sudoku daily. The Happy Club or Laughter Club in the park helps one stay mentally strong.
Tell us about VentAllAbout?
As the name suggests, this is a platform for venting emotions anonymously, without the fear of being judged. People tend to hide their emotions under a social media façade. I started this platform in 2019 after a successful corporate stint. It’s available in eight regional languages – Telugu, Tamil, Bangla, Hindi, etc.—as people like to vent in their own language. We have AI that checks the tonality of the writing. It prepares a mood calendar for 60 days and gives a data point if you need to engage with a therapist. We have trained psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health experts on our panel. There are three ways to use VentAllOut. You can just post your problem and get community help. You can speak to a therapist for a short time at a nominal cost. Or go for detailed analysis with an expert.
How does a day dedicated to mental health help the elderly?
It’s important to recognise the issue. A day dedicated to it helps in spreading awareness. Slowly it will become part of everyday conversations just like diabetes. According to WHO statistics 89 per cent people are stressed and around 20 million suffer from severe depression in India. So such a day helps to bring the focus on to mental health. The government needs to initiate more changes and treat it as a health hazard that demands attention.