Celebrity Life
How Unhealthy Is The Social Media Frenzy Around Sushant Singh’s Death? An Expert Answers
The entire Sushant Singh Rajput case seems to have taken a 180-degree turn in the past couple of days. While Sushant’s family has mostly maintained a stoic stance all this while, the late actor’s father, K K Singh lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and five others on Tuesday. He has accused them of abetting the actor’s suicide. The complaint has been lodged in Patna and in the same, the actor’s father has further accused Rhea of taking money from Sushant and using him to establish her career in the industry.
Meanwhile, #JusticeForSushant has been trending on social media as fans continue to churn theories and make assumptions based on all that has happened in the case all this while. And when we talk about theory weaving and sweeping conclusions here, some of the very well recognised names in the country have been involved too. Tweets elucidating why Sushant’s death was actually a murder are being pushed out. Quite naturally, a general furor has been created across the entertainment industry as well as the entire nation.
But how healthy can this general sense of uproar really be especially for those who are struggling with their own mental health and feel triggered by the news of Sushant’s death? We reached out to Tanvii Bhandari, Counselling Psychologist at Anchorage Counselling Services and here’s what she has to say about the entire discourse:
The Need Of The Hour
“Yes, this can trigger a person who is dealing with mental health,” Tanvii says. However, she also feels that it’s the need of the hour and quickly adds, “This kind of media attention also gets others to get involved which ultimately results in mental health getting some importance. That said, it’s not such a simple topic to navigate and has its complications. Also, you can’t zip everyone’s lips.”
She further says, “This is just one of the things that can trigger someone who is struggling. However, there exist ten thousand other things that can do the same. Censorship will not prevent triggers. Also, posting on social media gets the public involved and public opinion is the way democracy works. When someone calls wolf and gets the larger group to have opinions, this makes the authorities work better. It puts light on a lot of stuff that would otherwise go unseen. It’s the only way to get attention”
The Downside Of All The Social Media Frenzy
Speaking on the social media frenzy and how it might be triggering some, Tanvii says, “Honestly if anything at all is triggering you–you need to ask for help and that’s where the conversation of responsibility comes in–if someone asks you for help either help or get them help from someone who can.”
She thinks of mental health as a personal as well as collective undertaking and adds, “This responsibility exists even if you can see that someone is struggling. Let’s look at Sushant’s case itself–I’m sure he would have shown signs of depression or anxiety or fear and that’s when those close to him should have either helped or gotten him help and then maybe we wouldn’t be in this position.”
Well, as established by Tanvii while there is a definite downside to the entire social media frenzy; there isn’t much we can or should do about it right now. All we can do right now is to take care of our own situation and reach out for help if required.
If you are feeling triggered or you feel like you need to talk to someone, we urge to reach out to a mental health professional on these numbers:
Aasra: +91 98204 66726
Fortis Stress Helpline: +9183768 04102
Parivarthan: +91 76766 02602
Cooj Mental Health Foundation: +832 2252525
Sneha Foundation: 044-24640050
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