Mental Health: Recognising an Invisible Pain
Pain in the body can be seen; pain in the mind hides itself in silence. This chapter is about recognising that invisible pain.
Health — the chapters
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Lifestyle and the body
Mind and society
Infection and environment
Science and Jain thought
Summary · AI
- The National Mental Health Survey (2015–16) recorded a considerable public-health burden of mental disorders.
- The decline is not caused by stress alone — competition has taken the place of conversation, and display the place of listening.
- Society calls the patient 'weak', and so pushes them towards hiding rather than treatment.
- What helps: silence and meditation, conversation and acceptance at home, mental health education in schools.
This summary was written by AI and may contain mistakes; the article itself is authoritative.
This is an English translation of the original Hindi. Translation may have changed the meaning a little; the Hindi original is the authoritative version.
Pain in the body can be seen — in the eyes, in the walk, in the words. But pain in the mind stays invisible — in silence, behind a smile, in the depth of saying nothing. Mental health is the recognising of that invisible pain — a field society long overlooked, and which a person hides even from themselves.
Mental health in India has now become a serious public crisis. It is not limited to despondency or anxiety; it reaches to suicide, to withdrawal from society, and to a falling away of the capacity to work. This asks not only for medicine but for feeling.
The extent of the problem
India’s National Mental Health Survey (2015–16) recorded a considerable public-health burden of mental disorders. For current figures, the latest national survey and updated sources from WHO and the Government of India should be preferred. The rate of suicide is worrying too, especially among the young and among students.
That figure is not a number but a silent call — saying that the mind too falls ill, and that its treatment is not medicine alone but conversation, acceptance and equanimity.
The undercurrent of the causes
The decline of mental health is not caused by stress alone. It is the outcome of a life in which:
- competition has taken the place of conversation
- the habit of display has grown in the place of listening
- silence is taken for weakness, and saying nothing for something abnormal
- the mind is seen only through reason, not through feeling
Indian thought says — “समता भावेण चित्तं प्रशम्यते” (Dravyasangraha, verse 36) — that is: by the feeling of equanimity the mind grows calm.
But the mind today is filled with its opposite — with expectation, comparison and refusal. It is this imbalance that gives rise to disorders of the mind.
The effect on society and the feelings
Society often takes a person with mental illness to be “weak”, “unstable” or “abnormal”. This view pushes them not towards treatment but towards hiding. Often the patient holds themselves to blame, and the family tries to correct them rather than understand them.
This breaks confidence, brings distance into relationships, and creates discomfort at work. Among adolescents and the elderly in particular it cuts them off from the conversation of society.
The direction of a remedy
The remedy for mental health lies not in medicines but in the remaking of life. If we take conversation not only as words but as a way of listening; if we understand silence not as saying nothing but as awareness — then this illness can not only be controlled but prevented.
The main pillars of improving how one lives:
| Measure | Level at which it works | Expected effect |
|---|---|---|
| Silence and meditation | Personal / spiritual | Steadiness of mind, emotional balance |
| Conversation and acceptance in the family | Social | Greater inner strength, less stigma |
| Mental health education in schools | Educational | Awareness among the young, self-protection |
| Stress-management sessions at workplaces | Institutional | Better productivity, the growth of sympathy |
The place of policy and education
If mental health is to be strengthened, not only medicine but feeling and education must be set to work. Conversation about feelings in schools, sessions of silence at workplaces, and the encouragement of the dignity of mental health in the media — together these can build a gentler society.
NITI Aayog’s Mental Wellness Strategy 2025 proposes that India should run community counselling centres, forums for adolescents to talk, and training programmes in psychology.
A sign that inspires: a mind remade
A man who had struggled for years with despondency, silence and self-doubt decided to remake his life. He took up silence, gave conversation a place, and looked at himself with mercy rather than blame. Slowly his mind steadied — but more than that, his life began to move again.
This was no miracle, but the result of acceptance, equanimity and feeling.
Conclusion
Mental health is not only the state of the mind — it is the quality of life, the depth of our relationships, and the steadiness of the soul. If we see the mind not only through reason but through feeling; if we nourish it not only with thought but with compassion — that can help to lower the risk, assist in preventing illness, make treatment more effective, and improve the quality of life.
This chapter is a call — that we recognise the pain within us, accept it, and fill life with conversation.
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