Social inclusion as a crucial factor of good mental health.

Social inclusion is increasingly understood to have positive and beneficial implications for the mental health outcomes of people with severe mental illness.
According to WHO , the need for action on mental health is indisputable and urgent and also has intrinsic and instrumental value and is integral to our well-being.
The latest survey by India’s National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) found that nearly 150 million Indians are in need of mental health care services, but fewer than 30 million are seeking care. Over 10% of the population has diagnosable mental health or substance use disorder. Mental health is paramount, and getting treatment for mental disorders is not a luxury but a necessity.
During the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a marked rise in mental health issues globally. In India, mental health issues were seen especially among white-collar workers.
WHO estimates that mental health issues cost the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
United Kingdom and Japan have a minister handling loneliness as a portfolio. In the US, surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy said half of the adult Americans have been affected by loneliness which, he said, is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Loneliness is a big factor among the elderly. An annual survey by the NGO found 86% of the elderly respondents from Mumbai in 2022 said they lived with families but 75% of them complained of feeling isolated and neglected. Loneliness is not overtly mentioned but, it is only picked up after the person starts showing signs of depression
Due to urbanisation , housing complexes have moved from cluster living to isolated towers, from latches on doors to CCTV-controlled entry points. This is an important cause of loneliness,” he said. The social disconnection is so high that funerals have scanty attendance and people hardly know the identity of their neighbours.

Many people who are tired or stressed want to be alone, but this is actually a disconnection caused by the rapid pace of globalisation.
Loneliness is considered a bigger issue among youngsters in the West. The US surgeon general’s report quoted a study in which participants who used social media for over two hours a day had about double the odds of reporting increased perception of social isolation than for less than 30-minute use a day.

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