When gender meets mental health☘️🚺
In the documentary titled “ Feminists: What were they thinking?” , among many fascinating points of history shared by the pioneers of feminism in the 20th century, noted writer and psychotherapist Phyllis Chesler makes a case in point by detailing how the field of mental health treatment also became a just reflection of then existing politics of gender in the society. She goes on to describe how fiercely she fought against the system, for something so basic yet so convenient to be discarded by the steering held patriarchal mass. She made headlines by demanding million dollars in reparation from the American Psychological Association on behalf of women who had been badly treated.
When women like Karen Horney and Naomi Weisstein shook the men built behavioural research, they openly called out the sexism in the field and rewrote the understanding of gender roles. A lot of therapy sessions continued and still continue to offer ‘adjustment’ measures to fit in to oppressive environments and thus let one fit better, conveniently shifting the cause and solution to one head.
As popular perception of therapy had taken a shift from mental health as something to be mocked at to start believing in Jamie Ryan of ‘Never have I ever’ or Dr.Jehangir Khan of Dear Zindagi, one is yet to find truths about seeking a therapy that suites one so well. Choosing a therapist could sometimes be about choosing the right chair that fits you , an outcome of trials and errors, just like how Dr.Jug puts it his way in Dear Zindagi.
Mental health had recently taken an active advocacy campaign channelled through various stakeholders of diverse regions, and yet it remains as a question of privilege to a large of majority.
TheNewsMinute finds “When we think of women, queer folk and other minorities in the gender and sexuality spectrum, it is evident that a major portion of their mental health issues are attributed to the oppression by the regressive masses. It doesn’t take a degree in psychology to understand why women are unnecessarily dumped in mental institutions by their in-laws or aren’t taken seriously when it comes to menstrual pain. Similarly, trans people in India have their mental health implications associated with homelessness.”
I recently came across a mental health piece published in the “Vanitha” magazine. A magazine that calls itself a ‘vanithakalude vazhikatti’ aka path definer for women. The article supposedly written by a senior psychiatrist is not only benevolent sexist but also unbelievably enforces stereotypical sexist notions. The author is clearly unaware of the non-binary experiences . The article tries to cover itself with a blanket of progressiveness and ‘feel-goodness’ and yet fails to mask its evident internalised patriarchy. The said doctor goes on to explain how girls need to be mindful of their conduct, for men are inherently sexual beings who could pass unsolicited comments for reasons so bound to them being themselves. I cannot even decide where to start dissecting this article as I am still trying to process the fact that nothing ever would come out as a surprise from a magazine that featured a sexual assault accused on its magazine cover. No amount of its rich legacy of years would save the magazine from criticism over its not-so-unintentional mistakes. On top of all , the wide range of acceptance the articles of such magazines enjoys throws mud at a supposedly forward-looking future.
Link to the above vanitha article:
When one with societal sanctioned ‘experience’ fails to understand the quintessential intersectionality of human race and behaviour, the argument over the credibility of online mental health experts who speak sense with less count in professional experience takes a pause on the other end of the chain of discussion.
Activist Bhargavi Davar made a case in point once when she called out the harsh reality of women being diagnosed with mental illness as proportional to her deviation from her expected roles. Disempowering women legally through labelling women unsound, for matters of property or children is another issue that she highlights. As long as no conclusive true test lies to certify an unsound mind, stereotypes find their comfortable seats in the theatre of patriarchy.
When ones that deserve to be called out gets a call out, mental health in India starts seeing its leap of activism that merges well with the feminist movement for all right reasons. Understanding the roots of psychological experiences which could be oppression or subjugated pressure is facilitated by this merge of feminist thinking and mental health.
The topic of this article isn’t something I chose out of nowhere, it rather chose me. This would probably be a partial vent out of what kept bothering me as it’s extremely underlooked and the talk needs to transcend beyond social media posts to our real world circles that are both social and political.