BHARATI PAWASKAR
TGLife: Has the need for counseling grown today?
Dr Shekar Shetti: Counseling has been there for ages. In the past, when in trouble individuals would seek help from ‘elders’ within the family or community with benefits. With the current fragmentation of society and individualisation, the need for counseling by a professional has emerged. With an ever changing society and rapid pace of development, people lack time to pursue their interest / hobbies. Hence the perceived stress and lack of management result in conflicts and unresolved conflicts lead to further mental health challenges.These are exhibited in the form of anxiety or mood disturbances. Most of the individuals suffering from common mental illness do well with counseling.
TG: Are we, as society becoming more restless, anxious and stressful?
Dr Shetti: The current problems are universal and nobody can point a finger towards a main cause for these issues. They were present in the past but not recognised as much as people were more resilient. Living in a joint family helped individuals bounce back from stressful situations. However, in present times, with increasing competition, rising expectations and struggle to be the best without understanding ones limitations leads to conflict and stress. This is palpable in children and adolescents who have to not only compete with peers but also excel in academics, sports or other extracurricular activities.
It is important to understand there is no life without stress. Although stress is a source of common mental illnesses learning coping strategies builds resilience and aids an individual’s growth. If these strategies are introduced early in life it will equip a child to face future challenges in a better way.
TG: Why do women need psychological counseling?
Dr Shetti: The changing social fabric has laid increasing burden on women. Across cultures, despite the debate on gender parity, women struggle due to the multiple roles they have to play. They are expected to play the traditional role of home makers, and now also have to contibute financially to the household alongside the traditional duties. These demands coupled with the physiological make-up put further stress resulting in women being susceptible to common mental illnesses.
TG: What is missing today? Have we failed to deal with our emotional, psychological problems?
Dr Shetti: This is a difficult to answer. The aspirations and dreams of individuals are unique. Despite all technological advances that are meant to save time, everyone complains of lack of time! I think what is missing is contentment. It is hard to experience contentment. Most schools that practice mediation aim be in the present and to some extent make an individual to be content in the present. This helps resolve emotional, psychological conflicts.
TG: Is GenNext confused?
The younger generation are much smarter than us, more vocal and independent too. But the issue could be managing failure and teaching humility and patience. The emphasis is not to blame everything and pathologise an issue. The need to acknowledge no one is perfect and to accept certain imperfections and the aim is to strive to do the best to ones abilities.
TG: What could be the reasons for domestic violence in India?
Dr Shetti: Physical or sexual violence is a public health problem that affects more than one third of all women globally, according to a new report released by WHO in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council.Domestic Violence is a universal and a complex phenomenon mostly seen in regions with gender disparity. Alcoholism, unemployment, illiteracy, infidelity, insecurity, inferiority complex, poverty etc could contribute to it as well as the role of society and the reporting of such crimes and punishment meted out also influences domestic violence.
TG: Could you suggest some measures to prevent this?
Dr Shetti: In low resource settings like India, prevention strategies that have been shown to be promising include economic and social empowerment of women through a combination of microfinance and skills training related to gender equality. Also, measures should be taken to foster good communication and relationship skills between couples and communities, reducing access to, and preventing harmful use of alcohol, transforming harmful gender and social norms through community mobilization and group-based participatory education to generate critical reflections about unequal gender and power relationships.To achieve lasting change, it is important to enact and enforce legislation and develop and implement policies that promote gender equality. Gender parity and respect are the fundamental issues raised to curb domestic violence.
