Laid-back or judgy? Hyderabad’s take on mental health issues

Hyderabad is home to many young professionals and students. To understand what lies beneath these struggles, Siasat.com spoke to city youngsters about the pressures they face and consulted mental health professionals here to understand the factors affecting their well-being and the warning signs that often go unnoticed.

Hyderabad: The suicide of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode has once again brought the issue of mental health and the pressures young people face into sharp focus.

As World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10, the incident raises difficult questions about the challenges students grapple with, the expectations weighing on them and whether they have access to the support they need.

Hyderabad is home to many young professionals and students. To understand what lies beneath these struggles, Siasat.com spoke to city youngsters about the pressures they face and consulted mental health professionals here to understand the factors affecting their well-being and the warning signs that often go unnoticed.

Hyderabadis and their attitude

“What’s most noticeable about Hyderabadi people is their laid-back attitude towards mental health,” said Zara Siddiqui, Director and Co-founder of Strength Fight Club (SFC), a wellness company. “Even though there is acceptance, there is just laziness towards therapeutic interventions until it gets worse or has already reached a severe stage.”

As to what drives people towards therapy, Siddiqui said it is excessive socialising that creates a pressure for a perfect lifestyle which leads to anxiety. In fact, adults succumb more to peer pressure than children, she said. Another major factor is urbanisation leading to distant and dysfunctional family systems.

Likewise, she said, there is a surge in students and young professionals seeking unrealistic goals, leading to mental breakdowns. “There is now a drift in social and ethical norms, so most youngsters are either seeking validation to fit in with society or creating a state of isolation by abandoning the norms and ethics,” she added.

So what turns ordinary stresses into major issues requiring therapy? Siddiqui said, “The silent burnout often happens when there isn’t any break from routine.”

This becomes noticeable through a lack of appetite, social withdrawal, isolation, low self-esteem or when you notice the person starts becoming distant. These red flags are silent indicators that there is an immediate need for psychological intervention, she said.

But how accessible is mental healthcare in Hyderabad? Siddiqui said, “The Telangana government has counsellors spread across the rural areas, while the cities have multiple NGOs providing pro bono sessions, but there is still a taboo surrounding a visit to a psychologist, even though there is enough accessibility.”

Changing city adds to distress

Academic pressure, the erosion of community spaces, and even changes in commuting patterns affect mental health, said Suha Qureshi, co-founder of SFC. “We don’t attach enough importance to how urbanisation and development have played a role in our everyday life. Hyderabad’s mental health problems are vastly connected to these issues.”

“The changing city has surely grown to cause distress with its longer commutes, competitive workplaces, etc., causing people to spend less time on their mental health and with their loved ones, which is essential for a healthy environment,” Qureshi said to Siasat.com.

But that’s not all. Doomscrolling is also an obvious culprit, said Qureshi, adding, “Social media can do both. It can create problems that are non-existent as well as amplify existing problems that an individual is already facing.”

“From what we see in day-to-day life, toxicity, negative terminology, and culture-shaming trends on social media add to distress in an individual’s already existing mental health conditions,” the psychologist said.

She cited an example of a girl going through body image issues who sees reels of influencers; she questions her own appearance, and it just amplifies her negative thinking patterns about her own body. “Thus, social media has created problems that are not there as well as amplified existing ones,” Qureshi said.

Not about accessibility, about acceptance too

According to Siddiqui, for people, the fear of being judged keeps them away from seeking help. “As we are multicultural, each culture has its own fables on mental health. It’s not just about accessibility but also about acceptance in society.

“For instance, acceptance by parents when the school suggests counselling. The city keeps living in a state of denial; it’s easier to go cafe-hopping than to consult a mental health expert,” she added.

As to the population group that is most neglected in mental health care, Siddiqui said, “Everyone deserves to be heard and should seek out mental health support when required, but as per statistics, the women born between 1975 and 1995 are the most prone and neglected group.”

This group, she explained, is grappling with multiple issues including cultural value systems, modernisation, geriatric caregiving, nurturing family dynamics, social imaging, and progressive careers. They’re the highly active group with the most nervous breakdowns, fatigue, exhaustion, suppressed emotions and hyper-independence, which is a trauma response.

“These women are mostly at the receiving end, as there is abundant gender bias, diverting the majority of pressure related to family or career towards female members of the system,” she said.

She concluded that Hyderabad in particular and Telangana in general can thrive if preventive mental health is introduced and practised at a more normalised pace.

Easier to talk to friends

Shedding light on the kind of pressures they face, P Swarna, a bachelor’s student from Nizam College, said, “Right now, the most pressure I’m facing is from academics. Because my exams are nearing and I’m not able to study anything, I feel anxious and also drained out due to that pressure.”

But do people around her respond to distress signals? She said, “I feel people around me notice and recognise when someone is struggling, and I do too. They try to console and give whatever support they need.”

About informing parents and teachers about mental health issues that students experience, she said, “I think I’ll be more comfortable telling my friends about my mental health. What would stop me is that I don’t want to bother them with my problems.”

On the accessibility of counselling, she said, “I feel professional help is not that accessible and also not so normalised. People see you differently when they get to know that you are going for therapy. There is not much awareness about this. I also don’t think it is affordable for students, and many students actually hesitate to seek help.”

Asked whether colleges in Hyderabad are equipped to deal with students who face mental health issues, Rajeshree C Nadurmath, a second-year bachelor’s student in Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences at Gandhi Naturopathic Medical College, said, “I don’t think colleges in Hyderabad are fully equipped to handle students’ mental health issues. There is still a lack of psychological awareness, empathy, and safe spaces where students can express themselves without fear of judgement.”

Those away from home most vulnerable

Quick to note that social media can impact one’s personality, she said it makes students feel inferior, inadequate, and less successful, slowly affecting their self-esteem and making them forget their own worth.

Rajshree said that people are so busy chasing success and securing their future that they forget to live happily in the present.

“Even I sometimes worry too much about what comes next instead of enjoying where I am now. We’ve started treating life like a race, where slowing down feels like falling behind,” she added.

Students who struggle financially, live away from home, or face emotional pressure often receive less attention and tend to be most stressed, she said.

“Personally, I’m a happy and energetic person, but I deal with my own emotional and health struggles. People assume I’m fine because I smile and spread positive energy,” she added.

“Similarly, several students conceal their struggles behind a smile because they fear being judged. People often focus on how people appear rather than understanding what they are actually going through,” she said.