WHY WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND MENTAL TRAUMA BETTER…
 A long time ago, a lot of what we understand as sensitive emotional
and mental issues were considered mental illnesses. In the same vein,
the identification of mental trauma was not as complex then as it is
now. In developed countries, somethings are taken more seriously than
elsewhere and mental disorders are aplenty ; in 1952, the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the USA were a simple 50 page
manual that became a 943 page edition by 1994. Women who could not
contain themselves were said to have ‘hysteria’ which really was
emotional excess that came out with symptoms such as fainting,
nervousness, muscle spasms etc.
The diagnosis, identified by Freud, stayed put for a part half of the
20th century and was treated by hypnosis which was later questioned and
abandoned by the very people who introduced it.
Back then, it was considered a honour to make a diagnosis of a mental
condition. In 1869, George Miller Beard coined the term neurasthenia,
which was said to have had an upward of 75 symptoms, including malaise,
poor appetite, weakness in the back and spine, hysteria, insomnia,
headache, even uterine displacement and treatment was considered to be
applying electric shock!
Respect and dignity
Fast forward to 2010, Rosa's Law, inspired by Rosa Marcellino, came
into effect in the USA. Rosa had Down syndrome and was labeled
"retarded" at school. Her family lobbied to have the word removed from
state law; her 11-year-old brother's testimony is said to have activated
the process. Said her brother, "If you believe she's 'retarded,' it
invites taunting, stigma.
 It invites bullying and it also invites the slammed doors of being
treated with respect and dignity." The Bill eventually removed the
wording "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal
education, health, and labour laws and was later written into law by
President Obama.
We face similar situations concerning mental health in Sri Lanka.
People call still refer to the treatment facility for mental health at
Angoda, as the mental asylum. Although hundreds of people seek
psychiatric help in private and state sector hospitals, many feel there
is stigma attached to seeking help for mental health. Many suffer from
mental health issues but would suffer in silence rather than seek help.
Thankfully, attitudes are changing. The initial change comes when we
allow ourselves to talk about mental health issues and seek solutions.
Therapy is a good place to start at – talking about it sometimes brings
relief before seeking professional help.
Mental trauma
Mental trauma can strike anyone for whatever reason. It can happen to
anyone. Modern medicine has answers and there are various treatment
options.
As long as we can change our attitudes and allow ourselves to be open
to being treated for mental trauma just as we may do for physical
trauma, we have overcome stigma and are able to seek help.
One of the reasons why mental illness grows is because we do not seek
avenues of sharing our emotions, our concerns and other emotional
discharge that can accumulate and cause problems. As the Sinhala saying
on, tell your story to a lime tree, life's troubles lessen when you
share with someone. It may not bring solutions but it certainly will
lessen the burden.
We build careers, families and homes but rarely bother building
trusting and close relationships with people who can help lend a
shoulder to cry on. They may be friends, relatives or colleagues but
having someone trustworthy enough to share your problems with, will
lessen the possibility of developing mental trauma.
As a nation, we need to seek better attention and understanding of
mental trauma.
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