PsycheBubbles - Anwesha Bhattacharya

Every year, we celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10th October, where we focus on a common theme to work towards and improve upon the interventions provided to those who need them the most. This year's theme was (and will be): Mental Health in Humanitarian Emergencies. Note: This blog post is not a replacement for therapy or other interventions. The information I share here is based on research papers, articles, chapters and my experience as a therapist. But what I write here might not answer your specific questions or cover your specific concerns- this is general information. Please reach out to someone for assistance if you believe you need it. We deserve all the help and resources that we need! It feels like every other day now, when we check social media or the news and see reports on natural calamities or wars, panellists discussing about who is responsible, pictures of catastrophes being dissected, cameras panning into the hopeless, crying faces of people, the broken houses...

  Last year's World Mental Health Day Theme was      "Mental Health at Work" The aim of the theme was to raise awareness about mental health and connect it to the workplace . Since unhealthy workplaces can be a significant source of stress, fostering a safe work environment can be a protective factor for our mental health. Poor work environments that foster stigma or discrimination, improper working conditions and harassment can lead to significant damage to quality of life, mental health and in turn productivity at work. This was what was mentioned on the WHO website during last year's World Mental Health Day , and the theme rings true even today (and maybe will do so tomorrow). Before we move forward, I did want to mention the following: Note: This blog post is not a replacement for therapy or other interventions. The information I share here is based on research papers, articles, book chapters and my experience as a therapist. But what I write here might not answe...

Note: This blog post talks about things related to mental health, self-harm and AI companionship/ 'therapy'. What is written is also not a replacement for therapy or other interventions. The information I share here is based on research papers, articles, chapters and my experience as a therapist. But what I write here might not answer your specific questions or cover your specific concerns- this is general information. Please reach out to someone for assistance if you believe you need it. We deserve all the help and resources that we need! Psychotherapy and Counselling have been proven to be effective tools for mental health.  They are tools which can help people not only understand themselves but also those around them - they are effective interventions that have been studied and refined for many decades. But when it comes to its real-world application, hurdles like stigma around mental health,  problems with accessibility to proper care,  a dearth of properly trained th...