Sumaiya Shaikh

One of the biggest problems with people dealing with trauma and PTSD is that they have not engaged in any nontherapeutic therapy, or drug-based therapy because of the misconception that taking medication for any type of mental health condition would either become addictive, put them to sleep or lead to of loss of function. It is seen as a temporary fix that will wear off as soon as the drug effect wears off. This idea of what mental health is - just eating right and exercising regularly is all you need to fix your mental health condition - is widely prevalent in India. A common antidepressant, one of the more popular ones, is not readily available in one of the largest pharmacies in the country. People don't know the right drugs to take in situations like this, like a paracetamol for fever, and would generally go to psychiatrists. They ask for treatments that would allow them to rest or sleep and not actually help with depression or PTSD. A lot of PTSD symptoms manifest around sleep and dreams and sound aggression. There are specific drugs to treat such specific things and they are not addictive in such contexts. They don't put you to sleep, but unfortunately, this is part of some of the popular misconceptions.