Comedian Ashish Shakya Shares An Important “Professional Help” List Towards Resolving Depression And Suicidal Tendencies Which Needs To Be Shared Right Now

Ashish Shakya Talks About Why Severe Distress Needs Professional Help:

Stand-up Comic and Writer, Ashish Shakya earlier today brought out a thought-provoking note on his Facebook page, addressing the issue of suicide prevention and professional help. He brought to light the growing tendencies of stand-up comics being approached for help out of depression and anxiety. Ashish Shakya goes on to explain why people are not doing it right by approaching standup-comics to resolve their issues. He makes no qualms in stating the most sensible thing – “Comedians are not Medical Professionals”. And in saying so, focuses on why sometimes we need to place our trust on the medical help we can get and not assume resolution just for ourselves. His precise note starts off as this,

Once in a while, I, and other comedians get messages from young people in severe distress. People have written to us about being depressed and anxious and suicidal. Some of these messages have warranted immediate attention, like when people say they’re this close to ending it all. When that happens, we try our best, whatever our best means at that point. We listen, we try and talk them out of it, we urge them to contact friends and/or family if possible, and most importantly, we point them towards trained professionals that they can get in touch with at that very instant. We’ve given out direct contacts of professionals wherever possible. As far as I know, our little reactions have helped some people buy time and connect with doctors.
So far.

I write this because as much as I respect the fact that people trust us enough to reach out, one day, it may not be enough. If you’re under duress, please do feel free to write in, but also know that we are not, and I cannot emphasise this enough, we are not trained professionals. There’s also a real chance that your messages will lie unread in some corner of an already hectic inbox.

The Possibility Of Relief And Resolution Starts With Professional Medical Help

Further, into the Note, Ashish Shakya draws upon the points of seeking professional help and not relying on any others, specifically comedians to help you out. He goes on to emphasize this by providing insights into how he has met and seen people get a new turn of life with dedicated medical portals and immediate response teams. Ashish Shakya speaks further as,

I cannot possibly claim to know what it feels like to be suicidal. But I have seen up close and personal the toll mental illness can take. I’ve also seen people around me – and there are more than you might think – fight it and emerge braver, stronger and happier. So if there’s one takeaway that I am confident of sharing, it is this: Seek. Professional. Help.
Because as clichéd as it sounds, it gets better. That’s probably not what you want to hear in those moments of despair, but doctors can literally save your life. You’re eight down and it’s the last over so you need a Dhoni in your corner. Luckily there’s more than one MS to go around.

The Institutions Of Help And The List Of Professionals You Can Approach In Different Cities In India

As the note arrives at providing a resolution to the people, Ashish Shakya mentions about an inspiring crowdsourced list through an organisation, iCALL. He also goes on to share a list of Doctors, who tend to the issues of anxiety, suicidal tendencies, and depression in the most efficient and timely manner. What makes the list even more effective is that Ashish Shakya lists out various aspects of each professional in terms of their work ethic, trust factors, sensibilities and more, so that you can pick the professional as per your choice and need,

Earlier this year, people from iCALL crowd-sourced a list of trustworthy mental health professionals from across India, which includes details like work ethic, patient feedback , sensitivity towards LGBTQIA+ issues and direct contact numbers. It’s one of the most helpful public resources I’ve seen online so please have a look and save the relevant numbers on your phone, ready to go at a moment’s notice.

THE LIST OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS TO YOUR AID IS HERE: 

Please Copy The Link or Click On It To Explore The List Right Now And Seek Help Based On Your Nearest Location:

For Your Perusal: Here Is The Link Again. Click On It. 

I’m gonna ask you for two favours. One, please share and circulate this list as widely as you can. Spam the hell out of your social networks. You never know whose life you might end up saving. And two, if you’ve ever sought help for mental illness, if you’ve fought your way out, or if you’re currently in treatment and wouldn’t mind sharing your story, then please do so in the comments below. Hearing it might just help people realize that they’re not alone. Once again, you never know whose life you might end up saving. 

Concludes Ashish Shakya in his note. We at VoxSpace stand by the very valid points made in this note, and hope that this presentation goes on to help people in need.

You can read the whole post here,