Awareness, and an Uncomfortable Shift
Mental health today is finally being spoken about.
That, in itself, is progress.
But with awareness has come another uncomfortable reality — mental health has, many times, become a commodity. A space meant for healing is slowly turning into one of convenience, shortcuts, and easy validations. Labels are being applied faster than understanding. Conversations are being replaced by conclusions.
When Relief Replaces Reflection
One of the reasons for this lies in how anxiety and panic are often addressed. They are not always corrected — they are frequently cleared by reinforcing a simple idea:
“You are right at all times, and others are never right.”
While this may offer immediate relief, it raises a serious question:
Is comfort being prioritised over correction?
The Value of Honest Companionship
To begin with, having even one non-judgemental companion — someone who will throw eggs at you when you need correction, and flowers when you are right — is a rare and valuable form of support. Such companionship does not exist to soothe the ego, but to protect growth. It is honest, uncomfortable at times, and deeply necessary.
Therapy Done Right
There are therapists who do extraordinary, ethical, and deeply responsible work — professionals who understand that healing is not performance, not validation, and certainly not a place to showcase talent. Mental health demands patience, listening, and the courage to sit with discomfort. It requires time.
The Problem of Impatience
However, the approach followed at times is concerning. Real results take time. Reflection takes time. Change takes time. Yet many patients are not willing to wait. They want relief without resistance. Healing without effort. Results without altering anything about themselves.
This creates a silent compromise.
When Accountability Is Removed
When discomfort is removed without introspection, the pain may reduce — but the pattern remains. When behaviour is never questioned, growth never begins. When accountability is completely removed, therapy risks becoming an escape rather than a solution.
Not a Rejection, But a Call for Seriousness
This is not a rejection of mental health care.
Nor is it a criticism of therapy itself.
It is a call to treat mental health with the seriousness it deserves.
True healing is not about choosing sides. It is not about assigning blame or validating every feeling without context. It is about helping individuals understand themselves — their fears, their reactions, their responsibilities — with honesty and care.
Healing Is Not a Shortcut
Mental health is not a space for shortcuts.
It is not a place for convenience.
And it is certainly not a stage.
One compromise — avoiding hard truths — can quietly pave the way for many more disasters: broken relationships, repeated harm, and unexamined behaviour passed off as healing.
Honouring Integrity in Mental Health Care
Those who practise mental health with integrity deserve recognition and support. Because when done right, mental health work does not just soothe pain — it builds awareness, responsibility, and lasting change.
This conversation needs maturity, balance, and courage.
And it needs to be had — carefully, respectfully, and now.
