Lack of oppurtunities and likelihood of mental illness

In my own experience lack of opportunities in life are amongst the most strongest factor that gives rise to mental illness. And here in India, lack of opportunities are very common.
After my post-graduation farce, I realised that the only job I could hope of getting was one which involves staying up all night. And if that wasn’t enough to ruin your mental health, you would be subject to threats from Washington DC and Rome every 3 months or so. They would threaten you of stripping you of your job; your only hope in life.

Needless to say this kind of job neither offers any hope of mental stability nor brings any hope of marriage or settlement. But this was the only one on offer; so I had no choice but to accept it. About government jobs, they are extremely tough to get with as many as 36 lakh applicants for 10000 seats. And they would instantly reject me after learning of my mental illness background. After all, they are not short of choice and they aren’t running any charity. As long as employers are not compelled by law to employ people with history of mental illness; they can flatly reject people like me.

And so here I am ; with my history of mental illnesses I would be advised not to take any further risks and seek suitable employment; but in the absence of any suitable job I have no choice but to take the calculated risk of going for education again for 2 years and then seek fellowships. But the absence of any Plan B, a what-if-I-become-ill-again plan , makes me scared; in the worst case scenario, I would be left with a hazardous job with no future prospects ; no hope of marrying of having a family and near surety that eventually I would succumb to ever increasing mental disturbance in a situation like this….

In a scenario like this it is not difficult to fathom why even introductory texts of psychology mention the fact that poverty and lack of opportunities are strong risk factors for mental illnesses. My 18 year old friend who has just done a one year certificate course in sociology in Edinburgh, has landed a daytime job in travel agency. The abundance of opportunities in life reduces the risk of mental illnesses in places like UK, and the lack of prospects here makes one extremely vulnerable to mental illness. All this is well understood. What is not that well understood that despite these truths , the Indian government has done nothing to promote mental health awareness in this country. There is not even an iota of effort to spread awareness about mental illnesses ; the government would waste crores on space missions but is not ready to invest peanuts in mental health facilities; which require no expensive apparatus ; only a table , chair and a understanding and supportive person to listen. The lack of awareness eventually wasted years of my life; while if I had got prompt and timely treatment at the onset itself I could have been in the 2nd year of PhD by now.

And again , I have to take risk and study further for 2 years; which means I would remain non-earning for 2 more years. All this is necessary if I want to have any future prospects of leading a normal life and recovering from illness. But nevertheless , I am optimistic that this time success will not evade me, and I will eventually be able to lead a fulfilling and happy life. J