Shhh! Don't Talk About Mental Health

by Arjun Gupta

In the 19th year of his life, Yashasvi tried to end his life. Follow the journey of Yashasvi and millions of other people who are tormented by their own minds. This is not a self-help book. Mental health is no longer just about helping yourself. It is a movement against an invisible crisis that breeds inside our minds. A crisis that makes you question the voice in your head. Yes, the same voice that is reading this out to you.

True stories, research, statistics, and facts. This book will convince you why mental health cannot be just about self-help anymore, and why people like Yashasvi need our help.

Genres: Mental Health, Nonfiction, Psychology

206 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2019

Reviews

[Aakanksha Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shhh! Don't talk about mental health by Arjun Gupta gives an insight into the effect of mental disorder on one's health and the GDP of a country. He covers the aspect of why it is necessary to talk about it.

Yashasvi at the age of 19 suffer from clinical depression, and it took him two long years before he could start his perpetuate improvement. The story focuses on the history of depression, clique theories, and the mentality of society towards the sufferer. Back in 500 to 1400 CE, people believed that the mind of a mentally ill was possessed by a demon and the priests made a hole in the skull would be considered a treatment. In 1247, Bethlem hospital was established in London for the mentally sick, but they were chained, beaten, and experimented on.

The ill-treatment towards those people is still going on. Although, they have not beaten or chained today and the more sophisticated methods have been used, but they still called by the names like insane, wild, and unstable. Their family, friends, and society abandon them or keep their distance, which makes them more alone.

The book deals with a notion which is not considered paramount. The difference between mental and physical illness, emotional intelligence, the biopsychosocial model, the role of media and movies played, the stigma and stress comes with the disorder are explained in a subtle language. When the voices in your head become your worst enemy, the pain is unbearable. The emotional outbursts, angriness, and suicidal thoughts make a person more miserable and vulnerable. So instead of telling them to get over with it or get a life, try to understand their situation. Don't ignore, rant, or scold them. Talk to them when they are comfortable and ready. This book will work as radiance in the life of its readers. I would recommend it to all people.

Read more here - https://www.bookscharming.com/2019/07...

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! That's some heavy reading on mental health with the best, most urgent and genuine efforts to educate the whole generation relying on everything basic as historical facts and the present scenario.

I should have read this book sooner.

🔹A solid short book of 206 pages packed with reliable references and sources on the historical background and how mental health has been looked upon as in the world and in our own country

🔹 Mental health and its disorders aren't a new concept and the various discussions and arguments will back this

🔹The basic updated definitions and the terms we need to know are given according to ICD, WHO and other reliable sources

🔹 References are quite fun (Bollywood movies, real life examples, from professional contributors of the book)

🔹I don't think no other books available now would give this much facts and figures regarding the topic.

🔹I really appreciate how prominent personalities and pioneers in this field are given much importance on what and how they contributed that has led to the awareness of the diagnosis, treatment and management of different mental health disorders

🔹One of the best books on mental health I have read till date

[The Bookish Elf · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY! A book about depression that makes sense, that those with depression will read and sit nodding their heads and agreeing all the way through it. No psychobabble here (from Psychologists who have never experienced depression) - just real raw telling of 19 year old Yashasvi's journey with the dreaded black hole in his mind sucking his life in. I read it in the wee hours of the morning relating to everything Yashasvi has gone through and cheering for his moments of coming out of the darkness that is so devastating. Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health should be given or bought by EVERYONE battling depression, or has a loved one battling it. It's everywhere you know.

Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health by Arjun Gupta is one of the most beautifully written books I have read about mental health and illness. Inspiration almost drips off the pages. It's honest and vivid enough to make difference even for people who have done no personal trips to the hellish planet of Depression.

I love when concepts are mixed with guidelines and wisdom of someone who has been there and done all that. In Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health, Author Arjun Gupta so simply explains how it feels, he is so darn honest and all of what he says is true. He breaks it down into simple formats. It's really what is going on in your dark mind. He tackles the issues of suicidal thoughts and tendencies and how scary it can be, nobody wants to talk about that right? But we need to.

A bit that resonated with me was about how withdrawn you become from the world, scared to go out on your own, or even with others, you need people but you can't cope with them. It's overwhelming. The way that Author Arjun Gupta phrased a lot of things in this book was just spot-on. I don’t suffer from depression, but when my anxiety is bad, it can be debilitating. I related to all his descriptions of the fear and the agoraphobia and almost everything else he touched on. But more than that, he just put the experience of living with debilitating mental illness into words.

Let's get real about depression, it can hit anyone, it's not a choice, you can't just positive self-talk your way out of it. Just buy this book. Nice job Arjun Gupta, this one will help so many people. It should be given out at counselling and therapy session for anyone with depression around the world.

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about mental health. It deals with the real problems about mental health and tries to remove the stigma associated with it. Really good read.

[Krinal Savaliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absorbing and powerful read. Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health was a book I purposefully set out to read slowly and in snippets mainly because most of the book took me to places too familiar and disturbing but I also couldn’t look away instead. I commend Author Arjun Gupta for his brutal honesty in depicting the agonising realities of anxiety/depression. I adore Arjun Gupta’s writing. He is empathetic. He doesn’t preach. He is real. And he’s darn amusing 

There are so many “ah-ha” moments in the book, that I could relate to. From minor niggles to major problems, Author Arjun discusses the insidiousness of mental health. How because it can’t be seen, it can be difficult to diagnose the fine line of having “one of those days” to actually having deeper issues which need resolving.

Arjun Gupta is telling us the story of Yashasvi's descent into depression and anxiety at the age of Nineteen. We learn how he contemplated suicide and how he could barely leave the house due to the anxiety. I think this is a book that will mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Either you can see this in yourself or you can see it in someone you love - I believe this book could be of great help to sufferers and supports alike.

I think this book will definitely be an eye opener to anyone who sees depression and anxiety as just being 'a little bit sad' or just 'over-worried' - Author Arjun Gupta is wonderfully eloquent in the way he describes the despair and panic that comes along with these mental illnesses. I would highly recommend this book to all, if you are a sufferer or if you know someone who has or is suffering then this book is for you. Truly eye-opening and something that I think would bring hope to those who are currently feeling lost.

[Khushi Gadhiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of how Yashasvi came through crisis, triumphed over a mental illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. However, Arjun Gupta writes in such an inspiring and hopeful way that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Author Arjun has laid his book out in a really easy to read format which keeps the book fresh and interesting, and very easy to devour.

Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health focuses a lot more on depression and anxiety. I almost read it in one sitting, every time a 'chapter' ended, I wanted to continue. And even now after reading it, I can't properly tell you what it's 'about'. For me, this was an explanation of depression, a help for those who are suffering from it but also to those who are close to someone with a depression, and an homage to life really. Arjun Gupta gives you a little hope how life can really get better.

Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health is about anxiety and depression and therefore might be triggering to some. Author's metaphors are stunningly accurate, imaginative and sometimes beautiful. Arjun Gupta strives to give people with depression and/or anxiety hope, and also to provide advice and to educate and reduce stigma attached to mental illness. Just like a depression happens to you, healing can also just happen to you. I think if you suffer from or know someone who suffers a mental disorder, you should absolutely give this a go!

[Kavita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very timely and appropriate for the current scenario in the country and the world where the diagnoses of various conditions attributed to the mind are on the rise. At one extreme is the scenario where very small issue is given a very pathological name and having a condition has become cool and the other extreme is the case where people still stigmatise anyone requiring the help of mental health professionals and hence there is severe under diagnosis.

This book comes at such a time which tries to strike a good balance between the two extremes. The book has been divided into various sections which starts with history and the evolution of mental health and ends with the current scenario and the need for it to be taken seriously

The cover and the title is very aesthetically done and very apt for the subject matter. The title is very smartly done abut I just hope people do not take the title literally and focus more on the tag line.
The blurb is simple but understates the actual content of the book.

What I liked about this book
1. It demystifies the topic of mental health
2. It makes people think about mental health more seriously.
3. It has been written after extensive research with all the references given at the end of the book for detailed reading.
4. It is quite detailed
5. This work comes out of deep personal passion and also personal experience due to his work

What could have been better:
1. It is heavily focused on the 'stigma' of mental conditions
2. It could have been watered down a bit.
3. It becomes very technical at places, may be it was unavoidable but its just my opinion

The last thing that I would like to reiterate is that the book is trying to bring mental health to common people and make them understand its importance. This is a very helpful book in that respect and I would highly recommend this to everyone

[Aparna Thaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reasons to read this book:

1) You have suffered/ are suffering depression and/or anxiety.
2) You know someone who has suffered/ is suffering depression and/or anxiety.

If you’re asking the question “Is this book for me?”, then the answer is simply, statistically speaking, that this book is for everybody. There isn’t a single person who wouldn’t benefit from the candid insights and sincerity it contains. Author Arjun Gupta has given a book that speaks with a voice that combines honesty with wit, humour and tenderness. ‘Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health’ is far from maudlin, or pontificating. It’s not ‘heavy’, or overly-academic. It is short, matter-of-fact, a lot of which is constructed so that it can be digested just one single page at a time.

This book doesn’t set out to define anxiety and depression, but Arjun Gupta has a way of articulating his experience that will resonate deeply. It is, without doubt, a Very Important Book.

I intend to press this into the hands of family, friends, colleagues and strangers. It’s a book that speaks clearly and eloquently for those who find that words escape them. As Joanne Harris said, ‘Sometimes depression can be like falling into a wordless pit.', Author Arjun finds the words and he says them for all of us.

[Khushbu Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever suffered from depression or anxiety attacks, or worse - both at the same time, you will be grateful that someone has managed to articulate the experience so eloquently.

Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health by Arjun Gupta comes to terms with one of the most debilitating and frightening illnesses. He makes the point that depression is as real as cancer or flu or a broken arm, but the stigma attached to it remains. Books like this one will help to remove it. There are many ways people learn to cope, including therapy and medication.

This book by Arjun Gupta is so beautifully written. I think it is my most highlighted book. Every word is worth reading, every thought worth absorbing. Reading this book will make you feel that you're not alone. I realized that there were other people who were fighting bigger demons and survived.

No matter how you've managed to cope with the abyss, walk through it, make friends with it and emerge somewhat intact, this book speaks for you.

Read it if you are suffering from depression, have ever suffered from depression, or if you want to understand the experience of being human and being alive. 

[Dipalee Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank author Arjun Gupta for writing this book, because it’s amazing! It’s a great and very informative book about depression which now will be one of my new best friends.

Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health is a very accurate description of what depression is, how it feels and what can cause it. It manages to create a general understanding of what this mental illness is and offers consulting words not only for people suffering from it, but also for their loved ones. No matter if we talk about the physical or psychological experience or the way to recovery. Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health is a very helpful guide for anyone. It creates an understanding of the situation, of the illness and the way to recovery.

What I enjoyed a lot was the length of the chapters and how the book was split in different parts. It made the book easy to read/understand. The sentences mostly were short and compact which was very pleasant to read. Especially in the more medical part of the book (which had the perfect length itself).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about depression. I can’t say it often enough: This book is perfect.

[Khyati Gautam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shhh! Don't Talk About Mental Health by Arjun Gupta is a book that traces the history of mental health in our society, puts forth the myths surrounding it, then goes on to give explanations to properly bust them. Mental health is a serious issue concerning humans but the stigma attached to it stops the people from openly talking about it. The book bridges the divide by simplifying concepts such as mental health and mental awareness. It lucidly explains how the efforts have been made to help the people affected with dismal mental health, how they have been treated and cast away, and how we still need to go a long way in accepting and acknowledging its gravity. 

The book has been divided into sections that talk about defining and getting through mental health step by step. The extensive research on the subject reflects as you go ahead reading the text full of facts, figures, and substantial data. Through a story, the author makes his point that how crucial it is to reconsider our perspective regarding mental health. The book also charts the journey of the discourse revolving around mental health right from the 17th-18th century to the present. Although I found the book educative and interesting, the presence of technical terms might hinder a layman's reading experience. To put it simply, one needs to be patient and receptive while reading a book like this. Also, I personally feel that stricter editing with the book could have made it crisper and more refined. 

Nevertheless, to get more information regarding mental health, mental illness, its diagnosis, prognosis, and aetiology to psychology, you would be thrilled to read this investigative book. Recommended.

[Priyanka Jayaraman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that is extensively researched and extremely informative. Absolutely need of the hour since a lot of these are things that we have misconceptions about. Right from the definition of what depression refers to, to what we think about it , the author traverses slowly taking us along his research work and educating us along the way

Especially loved this line that I had shared " You dont ask a person with cancer to get over it but you expect the same from a person with depression". Nothing can summarize it better than this line. As a society we have two extremely polar takes on depression. Either we completely avoid them or we start exaggerating and calling ourselves to go through a depression. There's no inbetween.

This book explains why as a society we need to know about emotional health. The importance of emotional quotient and the fact that what we know isn't enough. It doesn't take only a psychiatrist and a psychologist to treat it but the society as a whole.

One small excerpt from the book that explained the seriousness of the disease was this : Imagine fighting with your own mind. The voice that is supposed to guide you is actually trlling you that you're not worth it and that voice is putting you down. Cant explain it better than this. That person needs us. All of us. To fight their voice. To be able to speak to them, to convince them that they are more than their voice. And that change can only happen when all of us learn about what the disease is. Why it's important and how we as a community could actually fight against it.

[Mitul Gadhiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always find it more difficult to review and rate non-fiction. Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health follows Yashashvi's struggles with depression and anxiety. My rating is not about that-but instead it's about author's beautiful writing and the potential this book has to make someone's life just a little better.

This book is so evocative in how author Arjun Gupta represents Yashashvi's struggles. It's both relatable and informative, and worth the read whether you suffer with mental health yourself or not. It's helpful for those with depression themselves, or those just having a bad day. This book made me think about how I live my life, and made me feel okay about giving myself a break when I need it.

I particularly liked how Arjun Gupta talks about depression as an illness with physical symptoms. He really shows that it doesn't have to have a cause, and that there's no straightforward fix. For anyone who doesn't understand that depression is an illness above all else, this will convince them. The book gave people a chance to understand their experiences, and the small things that keep them going. It showed the variety of experiences people have with mental illness. I loved it.

[Lunatic Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a continuous punch in the gut and a warm hug at the same time, which is a strange experience, but a very worthwhile and helpful one. Literally had a hard time putting this down.

Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health is one of the most important books I've read. It's about depression but not depressive. Author Arjun managed to express everything. I gave it to my family for reading so they might have a bit of an insight what is happening inside something with mental health problems.

Arjun Gupta tackles Yashashvi's experiences with Mental Health in a way you can relate to. I find it hard to explain depression & anxiety, but Author Arjun has explained it incredibly. It's nice to be able to read so much about his experiences and completely understand and relate to things about mental health.

I feel as though everybody who has ever suffered depression/anxiety or are suffering or not needs to pick up this book, It will give you a better understanding and honestly give you motivation and make you feel less alone.

[Adv. Vandana Choudhary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talking about mental health is still a taboo in our society and through this book Author Arjun Gupta tries to bring a change in the mindset of people about mental health awareness issue. He shares a story of Yashasvi, a 19 year old by who tried to end his life as he was suffering from depression. There are many people like him who face severe stress and depression in some phase of their life but are not able to recover with this illness because they are unable to ask for help. They keep their problems to themselves as they fear that they will be judged. They feel shame in expressing their thoughts and feelings.

So in some way we people are also responsible for not being able to develop that trust in our loved ones that they can come to us and express their thoughts freely. What can be the solution to this? Lets first try to understand this very important thing:

"It is important to understand that no person who is mentally ill is in this condition through their own choice.If they could choose, they would choose being able to cope with their problems every time,but they cannot."

There are many reasons why Author is focusing on spreading Mental Health Awareness:

Mental Health awareness is very important because some people don't even know that they are suffering from any mental illness, if they will know it on time, then chances of their recovery will be more. And this information can be spread if mental health awareness should be discussed frequently and not only on some specific days like world mental health day.

~There are stigmas attached with every mental illness and we also should try not to attach these stigmas to mental illnesses.

~A society that is well informed on mental health will stigmatize victims less. This will encourage them to seek help for their ills and speed up the recovery process. We all need to understand that they are not dangerous, they are people like us.

~Mental health awareness will help people recognize that help for psychological problems is available and people are not alone in this fight.

~Author discusses we all can help in educating people about mental health and how the media can play biggest role in supporting this mental health issue by making movies that can help in spreading awareness.

~There are some people who relate mental disorders with superstitions and how this practice needs to be stopped to cure the psychiatric patients.

~ Another aspect is the shame and stigma felt by the primary care givers of the sufferers

Author asks himself one question that actually made me think too deeply.
"Must a lack of financial resources also mean that we are empathically bankrupt as well? "

The aim of this book is to bring the idea of mental health to the general reader. Author is doing his best to create a future for all where mental health will not be continued to be a stigmatized subject. He hopes there will be a time when a person will not have to be ashamed to ask for emotional support. Together we all can contribute in achieving the goal of a mentally healthy society.
Don't keep your problems to yourself, learn the importance of accepting the need for care and seeking it from family and friends first.

[Pooja Priyamvada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is mental health activist Arjun Gupta’s second book about mental health. He is himself a survivor and also an applied Psychology student.

The interesting cover featuring three monkeys symbolising speak no evil, see no evil and hear no evil is striking and attractive. The blurb puts forth an interesting proposition, almost suggesting that this could be in the genre of like historical or scientific fiction, it says:

“In the 19th year of his life, Yashasvi tried to end his life. Follow the journey of Yashasvi and millions of other people who are tormented by their own minds. This is not a self-help book. Mental health is no longer just about helping yourself. It is a movement against an invisible crisis that breeds inside our minds. A crisis that makes you question the voice in your head. Yes, the same voice that is reading this out to you.
True stories, research, statistics and facts. This book will convince you why mental health cannot be just about self-help anymore, and why people like Yashasvi need our help.”

The author himself asserts that this is not a self-help book but a psychology book and is divided appropriately thus into six sections titled – From Possessed to Depressed, Defining Mental Health, Understanding Mental Illness, For and Against Mental Health Awareness, Stigma: A silent weapon, The Dull Golden Bird. Section II is the briefest and Section V the longest.

The author is able to maintain a consistent voice and easy to understand language though there are a lot of technical terms used. The book places mental health in the canon of psychological research and writing appropriately and through Yashasvi sets the conundrum at hand clearly.

“This led Yashasavi to believe that his problem was geographical, nutritional, physiological, social and everything but psychological.”

The author then delves into how mental illnesses were perceived and treated historically and also speaks about the evolution of the discourse around mental health as a separate branch under psychology. Use of everyday examples from life and films makes concepts easy to read and grasp for a lay person too.

The book clearly explains common confusions about the subject like difference between mental health and mental illness. It brings forth lot of latest research and data about stigma and hurdles in the course of mental health.

The last section also focuses specifically on the Indian context and provides insight into the socio-cultural aspect of the issue too.

The 25 pages long Reference List not only shows the amount of hard work and research put into the book but could be a handy-list of books to read for anyone wanting to delve deeper into the subject.

WHO MUST READ THE BOOK
- Psychology students and researchers
- Mental Health Activists
- Survivors and Caregivers

WHY MUST THIS BOOK BE READ
- Well-researched data and facts
- Easy to comprehend language and format
- Catalogues contemporary facets of mental health scenario

As a fellow mental health activist I hugely recommend this book and hope it reaches all the right places.

[Udita Alawadhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I've seen a lot of posts on the Internet about mental health, and I do talk about it openly with people, I'm quite surprised that there are so many things I didn't understand well earlier and Arjun's book opened the doors to that cognizance.

The book is not a fiction, neither a self-help book or a memoir on Arjun's experiences. It delivers a crisp understanding of what mental health is, how did the treatment of mental health has evolved over the centuries, the myths associated with mental health and so much more.

While I read, I had my mind functioning at such a fast rate throughout this book, understanding and contemplating by relating the situations around us. I was also writing points in my diary- the questions arising in my mind and I ended up discussing these minute details with so many of my friends.

The book explains how mental illness exhibited in one person affects our whole society. Even economically.

In this generation, where we learn everything from the Internet, this book gives an edge to your understanding of mental health. And how important do you think that mental health awareness is for this generation? It is really important for us to create an environment for the ones suffering from depression and anxiety disorders to open up about their emotions.

"It's okay to feel not like everyone else. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to seek help."

This book is a source for everyone who doesn't want to read deep psychology but is eager to understand mental health. Arjun used true stories and stats about mental health. And yes, of course,

Kudos to the research Arjun did for this book. When I first opened the book and collected all the pages of "References", I was electrified about what's going into my box of knowledge next!

Recommended? YESS!

[Charvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the best books I've read that talk about mental health so openly and beautifully. I'm ready to stand on the top of a cliff and yell out praises for this book while encouraging every single person in this universe to give it a read.

What I perhaps find the best about this book is the direct and simple to understand writing style that the author uses. He does not beat around the bush and yet explains each and every point in such a way that anyone, even someone with no prior knowledge of psychology can understand him.

The author addresses both the sides of each and every topic and argument and goes into the details of what he supports and why. He has quite a compelling writing voice that drew me in, making it impossible to put the book down. I learnt a lot of new stuff despite being a psychology student myself. So many myths regarding mental health were also addressed very well and gently but firmly discarded after giving logical reasons and proofs. I love how well the author had researched into the topics as he went on quoting many famous and not so famous psychologists.

And one of the most commendable things that I've never had the pleasure of seeing an author do is allow others to hold debates and arguments over topics and his work itself but without stating that the other's claims are invalid and only when baked by logic and proof. I'll end this review with a couple of my favourite lines from this book.

"Criticize me, criticize my work but do so with the support of credible research or sound logic. It is not criticism that scares me, but destructive power of time that does."

[Manali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Name of the book- Shhh! Don't Talk about Mental Health: Why Being Quiet Is No Longer an Option by Arjun Gupta.
Stars given - 5 on 5 stars.
My take on the book-
So firstly I think this is one of those books that everyone should read. Mental health is something that everyone should be concerned about. Physical health is something that we see everyone taking care of but we forget that our mind is the strongest as well as the weakest link in our body. Without proper care and love we might just make our mind our worst liability rather than make it our biggest strength.
As someone who has gone through a phase of acute depression at times I don't like it when people use words like OCD and depression lightly and ask the person going through it to 'get over it'.
I had lost 12 kilos in one week, I forgot to smile and almost got into an accident because I was busy getting my lines done. My parents and friends were a big help.
So I too would like to point out that if anyone ever needs someone to help them or even listen to them I am just a text or phone call away.

[Deepan Maitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: ****1/4 (4.25/5)

“Shhh! Don’t talk about mental health” attempts to destigmatise mental health awareness with the help of history, facts and statistics. The author Arjun Gupta clarifies in the beginning “This is not a self-help book. This is a book on psychology”. Thereby, the book doesn’t just tell you “you’re beautiful and unique, and you don’t deserve to be depressed.” Rather, it puts to light the seriousness of enormous impending issues related to depression and anxiety. Well researched and factual, Arjun writes his book to subjectively eliminate the stigmas associated with it, and show it just the way it is.

The book has been written in a way that each and every one of you will have a takeaway from it, whether or not you’ve been through depression yourself. It starts off with the story of a fictitious character Yashasvi, exploring his depressed condition and how he manages to conquer his depression to emerge victorious, and lead a happy healthy life once again. Through this character, Arjun encompasses the entire youth of the world—the kind who are constantly turned down when they express their rupture of mental peace, the ones who are afraid of confessing that they are going through depression, and the ones who are fighting with depression and anxiety like a warrior. This universal, all inclusive tone of the book is what makes it so personal and sympathetic, and urges you to devour it at one sitting.

Arjun writes quite technically. Being a student of psychology, he doesn’t just go on giving motivational advice. He beautifully separates sadness and melancholy from depression, and he does so with the help of collected data and references. The introduction to mental health comes not before the history and course of mental health awareness has been traced back in time. He draws lines from numerous incidents scattered in the past, and proves that how depression isn’t a man-made syndrome tactically manufactured by counsellors to make money in the 20th century. He harps on the perennialism of mental health, and projects its probable future. In a way, Arjun teaches us how to approach any kind of mental health topic. We all might be knowing that The Bhagvad Gita is basically a discourse by Krishna to Arjuna, in the middle of the battlefield. Did we ever think that this philosophical exchange of dialogues could ever be a subtle hint of the prospect of counselling a depressed person?

For someone who isn’t convinced that depression is as real as cancer, this book is a must! This book deserves a read from the whole population, adults and children alike. Technical and well-structured, “Shhh! Don’t talk about mental health” is therefore invariably recommended.

Disclaimer: This review is in lieu of a review copy.

[Vidhya Thakkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shhh, don't talk about Mental Health is about understanding Mental Health, the myths about it and the explanations that burst the myths. How Mental Health was never openly talked about and the changing situations.
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The author explains the fight that goes in the minds of the one dealing with it. He also tells about various concepts like Mental Health awareness, understanding mental illness, Defining mental health, the stigma of mental health. .
It's a wonderful book with some stories, research, statistics and facts that will give the reader a different perspective. .
Divided into 6 sections, the author focuses on the history of Mental Health, the current situations, the stigma of mental health and many other concepts.

Written in a crisp and interesting way, it's a bit heavy read so take your own time in reading this book. From defining the history of mental health to introducing various concepts, you'll learn a lot from this book.
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It's a well researched and well-detailed book. The way the author narrated each concept is commendable. I liked how the book is structured and is an eye-opener.
The way the author added stories, charts keep the reader engaged throughout.
Overall, it's wonderful and must-read book. A book that tells about why it is important to understand Mental Health.

[Prakruti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so important. If you are depressed, struggled in the past, or know someone, do yourself a favor and read this. It makes things better. It has this no bullshit attitude yet still manages to be positive. Normally, books that talk about how great life is make me want to shake the author and yell at them ,"HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE HOW BAD LIFE IS, YOU ARE LYING TO YOURSELF". This book is so full of honesty. Author Arjun doesn't ignore issues, he deals with them.

This book was useful to me for understanding how depression and anxiety works, I will never understand fully as the experience is always personal as author Arjun explains but I feel more open to how others feel. This book was beautifully written with inspirational quotes on every page. I will refer to this book in the future, it is filled with helpful advice on how to research mental health further and how to comfort yourself or others when feeling helpless.

It's full with great quotes and ideas. I'm just so grateful this book exists.

[Sheetal Maurya - Godse (Halo of Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many times, we come around some person in our vicinity who doesn’t act like normal people and we instantly call them crazy, mental and what not. However, do we ever realize that they are like this, due to disturbing mental health? As I grow up, I got to know the importance of mental health and how it affects any person. I decided to read this book, just to know more about mental health and this book turned out to be a useful read, which I think everybody needs to read.

Summary:

The author of this book is a mental health activist, who rigorously work towards the betterment of treatment of mental health problems through his blog and YouTube channel. He has written this book to create an awareness among the general masses who thinks that every mental health patient is crazy and violent.

This book has six sections and each section, helps readers understand about mental health in a wider prospect.

The first section ‘From possessed to depressed’ narrates how badly the society treated to mental health patients. He has given an example of Bethlem Royal Hospital, where patients were treated with all the inhuman way. He has also talked about how people have labeled these people as demon and witch.

There came many people who tried to do reform this and after many years and several attempts, today we understand that there are mental problems like schizophrenia, depression, and others.
The second section, ‘Defining Mental Health’ tries to speak about how defining mental illness is hard and the psychology evolved over centuries.

Next part, ‘Understand Mental illness’ talks about how understanding different kind of Mental illness is important and how each mental illness is different from the other. There is no measured way where one can tag anyone a mental patient.

Next section extensively talks about how mental health is not considered priority and how many of the mental health movements have to leave their job in midway. Mental awareness is important as many people didn’t know that they are suffering from mental illness.

Last two chapters talk about the stigma attached to mental illness and how people didn’t want to give any love and compassion to the patients. Statistics is very high, but we don’t have the proper resources to tackle this issue. We are still taking mental health as a second thing.

This book covers many more other topics which are necessary to understand the history, importance, and current situation of mental health and how it is affecting the nation as a whole.

Writing style:

As this is an informative book, hence it is a little bit to slow but the categorization and proper heading make it a smooth read. The author has maintained an easy writing style throughout the book.

My perception:

This book is researched-based, and the author has kept this book full of facts. This book is important to read because we need to know more about mental health and must pass down this information to everyone around us. I liked the point of the author where he has mentioned that the Bollywood has played a bad role presenting mental illness as a horrible disease which etched to our minds, but now the time has come where we need to understand, nab and prevent mental illness and must have to create awareness. This book is like an encyclopedia of mental health and covers every point which the general public needs to know. For me, this book is a must-read and I recommend this book to every person.

I would like to thank the author for putting so many efforts writing this book and introducing mental health to the general public like us.

[Aryan Sarath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially, when I picked this title, I thought it was a self-help book but then I realized, I was wrong. The contents may sound like one, but it isn't the case as the author himself admits it. He says that this is a Psychology Book and NOT a Self-Help book. There are very few books being published in this genre and to be frank, I had hardly heard or seen any in my long journey of book reviews. It is to be noted here that India is a home to book readers and book lovers and hence there is no surprise that we witness hundreds of launches each day. A book in this genre is a welcoming attempt.

Arjun Gupta, who is a mental health activist battled severe clinical depression between 2015 and 2017 and hence you can safely assume that he has the capability to write one on a sensitive subject like this.

The book also has couple of notable contributors namely Rajnandini Sarkar and Rohit Kumar.

This book is divided into 6 sections namely:

1. From Possessed to Depressed
2. Defining Mental Health
3. Understanding Mental Illness
4. For and against Mental Health Awareness
5. Stigma : A Silent Weapon
6. The Dull Golden Bird

Each and every chapter talks about various aspects related to Mental Health. If you are a student of Psychology, I am sure, this book will help you a lot as this has references from various books and authors who has the authority in this field.

Some of the lines that hit me hard and made me to make a note are given below:

a. Psychology isn't just about helping yourself or influencing others. It is much more than that.
b. Mental Illness were caused by biological illness rather than by spirits - Hippocrates(400 BCE).
c. During the Dark Ages from 500 to 1400 CE, people who were suffering from Mental related problems were chained, beaten and experimented on.

There are so many aspects to talk about. The book compared as to how this subject has evolved over a period of time and how the experiments and various theories had contributed towards changing the perception in the mind of the people.

I liked the way author has presented the facts and theories including his own definition with regards to Mental Health. I must say, it is one of the fittest as of today and I seriously hope WHO considers it because the one they use as of now is more than 2 decades old and it is high time that it gets changed....

[Tavleen Kaur (Travelling Through Words) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely informative and well-researched book, full of factual information. However, that shouldn't in any way stop you from picking it up. The author's writing style makes it very easy to read.

This book will inform you of several things regarding mental health that the general public does not know of. It breaks stereotypes about people suffering from mental illnesses and it tells us what we can do, as individuals and as a community to combat the stigma around mental health and to generate more awareness so that the right help and treatment can be given.

The book also gives us the history and origination of mental health and how the concept evolved through the years. The author talks about mental health, the organizations in work, and the role media has played in it, specific to India as well which I really appreciate.

We need to talk more about mental health. We need to start by having discussions and sharing honest feelings within our community and friends. We need to educate ourselves on this topic. We need to absolutely stop using the terms "crazy" and "abnormal" for people suffering from serious mental issues. We need to learn the difference between sad and depressed and know when to use the right term. We need to remember to not say things like "Just get over it." We need to be sensitive and helpful.

We can all start by reading and using the Internet to better quip ourselves with the correct knowledge.

I flew through this book. It opened my mind to many things I was not aware of. I thanks the author for writing it.

Check out my book reviews, recommendations, and other content on Travelling Through Words and my bookstagram!

[Ananya Thakur · Rating 5 out of 5]

We often address people as mad, crazy insane etc. Sometimes may be out of rage or a way to prove our charm. But do we ever tried to dig into the concept of "mental illness" let alone know the foundation. The fight against mental illness has been started many years back, and it's still continuing in our society. The truth is even now a large part of our society is oblivious of the existence of such illness.

The author Arjun Gupta has brought light to the truth that "Depression is not a matter of choice" through his book "Shhh ! Don't talk about mental health". The book starts with the story of a 19-year-old young boy Yashashvi, who was suffering from depression. A voidness was engulfing him slowly, it was hard for him to survive even a single day. The thought of suicide was overwhelming his entire mind. Even after trying hard to feel the emotions one used to do normally, he was left with mere numbness. He was desperately seeking for support from his family, friends and surroundings, but to no avail. He was surviving in a vicious cycle of darkness.

Apart from highlighting Yashashvi's story, this book has unequivocally described the history of mental illness along with the stigma attached to it. Suitable examples are given to make it more understandable. No doubt, a lot of research must have been done to write a book on an issue which is considered as the biggest taboo in our society. I commend the author for all the efforts he has made to spread awareness among people. I recommend this to every individual as i think everyone should have a basic knowledge about this.
Happy reading.

[Meenal Shahani · Rating 5 out of 5]

👤It's okay to feel unstable.. It's okay to disassociate.. It's okay to hide from the world.. It's okay to need help.. It's okay not to be okay.. Your "mental illness" is not a Personal Failure.
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👤This book is informative as well as inspiring.It opens a wide area of knowledge about what exactly is mental health.. It's causes.. Symptoms.. Solutions.. As well. As the history of it. We all live under a thought that mental illness is a newly born subject however the author has presented the facts that it has its roots way back in 400BCE.
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👤It is an eye opener for many of us who believe that mental illness is only constrained to an individual however it's high time that we as a community of humans start working towards it as a whole.
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👤Author has strictly given emphasis to the fact that people with mental health conditions deserve as much support and compassion as people with physical health conditions.
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👤Book is filled with motivational quotes and lines from renowned leaders and personalities making us realise that it's high time that we invest in our mental health. India has also few good institutions that works for mental health.
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👤Every topic in the book has been explained with utmost depth and simplicity.Research work of the author is commendable.
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👤Author has given an example of his true story of depression and how he fought with it in the book which vouch for an applause.
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👤My favorite line~~A mental illness may manifest in an individual but it effects a community as a whole!!.
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It's 5/5❤ and Highly Recommended❤

[Shalu Thakur Dhillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind and body go hand in hand. Sadly, people invest a lot of time and effort to keep up the physical health but when it comes to mental health, they ignore it completely. In fact, people try to push the issue under the carpet. Arjun Gupta's book Shhhh! Don't talk about the mental health is a great step towards spreading awareness about the issues related to mental health.
The author started with the story of Yashasvi, a boy next door, and then slowly shifted to the causes, symptoms, family and friend's reaction towards this Issue and the most important thing, the cure.
Author has tried to keep the language simple to make the book comprehensible. Even the technical terms used are explained well with the help of suitable examples.
The best thing about the book, I found the assurance it gives that mental illness is just like any physical illness as cough, cold or flu and with proper handling it is curable.
I will recommend this book to everyone as in today's stressful life you may find people around you, in your family, who may need help. This book is best suited to today's life style.
The only complaint I have is, with the blurb which gives an impression that it is some fictional stuff where as the book is much more than that.

[Poonam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book name : Shhh! Don't talk about Mental Health
Author : Arjun Gupta
Publication : @notion.press
Genre: Non-fiction .
My Rating :4.2/5
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✳️Basically this is a psychology book. Psychology isn't just about helping yourself or influencing others. It is much more than that. . .
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✳️This book clears all concepts about mental illness through references & examples. . .
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✳️Section first deals with detailed history of mental illness, how mentally ill patients were treated that time, then how revolution occur & what efforts taken by doctors to avail good treatment to patients. . .
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✳️Other sections explore the concept of mental health, also discusses about causes-diagnosis & prognosis of mental illness. Various programmes & organizations working for their welfare are also discussed. .
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✳️The state of mental illness in India is not very encouraging. Suicidal rates are very much high in India than any other country. So need to raise awareness about mental health. I admire authors work, which raises awareness about such a neglected topic. .
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✳️Language is easy to understand. . ✳️Narration is also good.
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✳️Recommended to everyone. Plz read this book & help to educate other people & support mentally ill patients.

[Saraswati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noo.. seriously it’s time to talk about mental health. This one issue has been neglected for so many years in our society and considered a taboo. Not only that people restrict from talking but don’t even take the help of psychiatrist or doctor in the matter. This book definitely is an eye opener which makes the reader know about the mental illness, it’s causes and many other aspects regarding the issue. The theories based on many known philosophers and psychiatrist have been noted carefully to make it more appropriate and knowledgeable. This book won’t solve the problems but enlighten people on the specified topic making people think over and over upon the problem that seldom gets into highlights. A great initiative by the author which will certainly help people know the reality of the issue and how it should be treated instead if hiding the facts and the truth. One of a best read and my first read on such a serious topic of mental health. The writer is successful in conveying his message through a lucid language which goes with the topic very smoothly, the cover is perfect according to book , the title could never have been more better than it is. Not forgetting at all the fine quality of paper used , the whole book is a work of total devotion. More powers to the author.