A 21-year-old woman from Gurgaon has opened up about a painful experience at work, saying her managers mocked her instead of showing care when she struggled with mental health.
Her detailed post on Reddit has now gone viral, prompting widespread discussions about the lack of empathy and awareness around mental health in Indian workplaces.
The Redditor (@sasukeuchiha_3733) posted her experience with the caption, “Mental health is treated like a joke in India.”
Managers mocked her mental health:
According to the post, the Redditor wrote that she had been feeling mentally unwell for weeks and had told her managers many times. But no one listened or showed care.
One day, she had a breakdown in the office. “I couldn’t breathe, was hyperventilating, crying nonstop, and still, nothing changed,” she added.
She then decided to send a formal email to HR, asking for some time off to rest and recover. In the email, she explained that she was overwhelmed and needed space to focus on her mental well-being.
“There’s a lot going in my personal life that I’m not comfortable sharing…but it has reached a point where I feel overwhelmed and unable to cope.”
But instead of getting support, she said the managers were angry and even laughed behind her back.
A trusted colleague later told her that people in the office were calling her a liar. Even a supervisor joined in and added more namak mirch.
“It broke me completely. I never thought being honest about my mental health would turn into something people laugh at,” she added.
The Redditor also shared that, right after her email, her manager messaged her on WhatsApp asking if she could still “log in” and take calls, even though she had clearly said she was unwell.
Check out the post here:
Reddit reacts:
Reddit users reacted strongly to her post, with many expressing sympathy and support. Several shared similar experiences of being dismissed or mocked when speaking about mental health at work.
One of the users commented, “Yes, mental health is a joke in this country, but what’s worse is sharing your mental health woes in India.”
A second user commented, “Unfortunately, talking about mental health problems is a taboo in India.”
“Corporates don’t care about your problems as they know even if you quit, there are many to fill in your boots. Take your time off and focus on getting therapy to get better,” another user commented.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)