Yesterday, after paying a visit to a friend, who was admitted in the Hospital, as I was leaving the building premises, I happen to pass the Casualty Section which is situated at the entrance of the Hospital. I heard a young girl’s voice yelling “I WANT TO LIVE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE SO SOON”. Curiosity got the better of me so I stopped, took a few steps back and took a peak into the Casualty Ward, only to see a very young girl probably in her early 20’s crying out loud and begging with the doctors / nurses to save her life. As I stood there, the Doctor was frantically working on her and then he asked her friend who had got her to hospital to wait outside and drew the curtains on us. Out of sheer curiosity I asked this girl, accident case ? She said No, Drug Overdose. I was kind of shocked ... The look on my face probably said something and this girl immediately said, No No not those drugs, then she went on to explain to me, “She had taken a whole strip of Combiflam at one time”. Probably the surprise look on my face and her need to vent it out got her taking to me. “It’s like this Sir, that she just had a break up and could not handle the emotional pain of it anymore, and hence wanted to end her life, so she has consumed 10 Combiflam’s at one go”.
While this girl kept on talking, I was giving her a quiet hearing, after about 10 minutes this girl calmed down, I offered to buy her a coffee but she said she was “OK”. She was then summed by the hospital authorities to fill out some paper work. She went back inside the Casualty Ward.
I started moving towards the parking lot, thinking to myself “Ending your life because you can’t handle the emotional pain of a break up ?” “All this girl had to do was pick up the yellow pages or Google for a counselor and go and take an appointment and work out her issues, not to attempt to end her life, and honestly I do not think that Combiflam’s would have killed her”. “But No, she preferred to attempt self termination rather than go to a counselor or a therapist to get her issues resolved”.
With every step, I kept thinking, “What is it with people, why the resistance to go to a Counselor or a therapist ?” When you have issues with your heart, liver, kidney you go to a specialist right ? Then why not one for resolving issues related to your Behavior / Emotions / Thoughts or Mind ? Is it the shame of visiting one ? Still is it considered a Social Stigma, if you’re seeking help in an area which you’re not able to deal with on your own”. “How many lives have been lost because of this Stigma and the big question is how many more are we going to lose and till when ?” Or is it the eternal answer that people have “Oh, it’s nothing much, I’ll manage it”.
As I sat in my car about to start the engine, I say “I think only educating the people on the issues of Mental Health will help”.
Let's hope and pray that girl has lived through the night. Buddha Bless
While this girl kept on talking, I was giving her a quiet hearing, after about 10 minutes this girl calmed down, I offered to buy her a coffee but she said she was “OK”. She was then summed by the hospital authorities to fill out some paper work. She went back inside the Casualty Ward.
I started moving towards the parking lot, thinking to myself “Ending your life because you can’t handle the emotional pain of a break up ?” “All this girl had to do was pick up the yellow pages or Google for a counselor and go and take an appointment and work out her issues, not to attempt to end her life, and honestly I do not think that Combiflam’s would have killed her”. “But No, she preferred to attempt self termination rather than go to a counselor or a therapist to get her issues resolved”.
With every step, I kept thinking, “What is it with people, why the resistance to go to a Counselor or a therapist ?” When you have issues with your heart, liver, kidney you go to a specialist right ? Then why not one for resolving issues related to your Behavior / Emotions / Thoughts or Mind ? Is it the shame of visiting one ? Still is it considered a Social Stigma, if you’re seeking help in an area which you’re not able to deal with on your own”. “How many lives have been lost because of this Stigma and the big question is how many more are we going to lose and till when ?” Or is it the eternal answer that people have “Oh, it’s nothing much, I’ll manage it”.
As I sat in my car about to start the engine, I say “I think only educating the people on the issues of Mental Health will help”.
Let's hope and pray that girl has lived through the night. Buddha Bless
Good Work Dr Aashiesh Tavkarr. Keep writing more blogs.
ReplyDeleteParesh P Chitnis
CPAG