Has the mental health landscape changed in India?
3 years, 9 months ago

Has the mental health landscape changed in India?

Live Mint  

In 2003, when I was doing my master’s in psychology, we had to prepare a case file with the case histories of 10 clients, along with a possible diagnosis. When I was telling a close friend, who was doing his master’s in physics, about this, he asked, “Tell me, is the identity of these clients just their diagnosis?” In that moment, I realised how labelling was reducing people’s sense of self to the mental health concern they were trying to deal with. We now talk about it openly on social media, psychiatrists and therapists are part of pop culture narratives and so much of the mental health vocabulary has become part of conversations among urban youth. It wouldn’t be wrong to say we are living in a time where #mentalhealth is trending, yet I feel we are losing the nuance, the complexity associated with mental health conditions and the therapeutic landscape. As a therapist friend says, “The trouble with social media and therapy is that we are at risk of falling into a binary.” Binaries of either/or are limiting and don’t allow us to see people as they are.

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History of this topic

Women's mental health a ticking time-bomb in India: How to defuse crisis
1 week, 5 days ago

Women's mental health a ticking time-bomb in India: How to defuse crisis

India Today  

An alarming women’s mental health crisis is staring India and the world in the face. Despite such disturbing figures, stigma and societal taboos continue to keep scores of Indian women with mental health issues from seeking professional help. ‘Unveiling the Silent Struggle’, a report by Mpower, a mental health social enterprise of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, has found that …

Kerala: No Health Without Mental Health
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Kerala: No Health Without Mental Health

Deccan Chronicle  

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala, which boasts of exemplary social and health indicators on par with Western countries, is now confronted with a pressing crisis the alarming deterioration of mental health. The incidents of suicides, familicides and gruesome crimes fuelled by drug abuse, particularly among youth, clearly point to a severe mental health crisis. The harsh reality is that anxiety disorders, depression and …

India needs to invest more in mental health
1 month, 2 weeks ago

India needs to invest more in mental health

New Indian Express  

Mental ill-health is increasing globally, and India is no exception. The need of the hour for India is to invest in mental health manpower, services and research, to protect its tomorrow, said Dr Koushik Sinha Deb, additional professor, department of psychiatry, AIIMS. In an interview with Kavita Bajeli-Datt, he says people, especially in cities, nowadays are more open about discussing …

Eliminating elitism in mental health
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Eliminating elitism in mental health

The Hindu  

The Ministry of Labour and Employment, in its year-end review report for 2024, stated that all States and Union Territories are expected to complete the process of harmonisation and pre-publication of draft rules for the new Labour Codes by March 31, 2025. Moreover, its conjoint reading with Sections 23 and 24 of the OSHWC provides a narrow connotation of ‘health,’ …

'The Sane Psychopath' book review: Focuses why Indians are so averse to talking about mental health issues
1 month, 4 weeks ago

'The Sane Psychopath' book review: Focuses why Indians are so averse to talking about mental health issues

New Indian Express  

When public bus driver Shankar Lande goes on a killing spree in Pune, many are critically injured and killed as he is captured alive and taken into custody. Based on a true incident, Salil Desai’s book The Sane Psychopath brings to focus why Indians are so averse to talking about issues of mental health. The World Health Organisation’s definition of …

Addressing mental health in high-stress professions
2 months ago

Addressing mental health in high-stress professions

Hindustan Times  

Behind the safety and security of every nation lies an invisible burden borne by individuals in high-stakes professions. A striking example is the significant 40% reduction in suicides within the Central Industrial Security Force, a result of targeted mental health interventions through a public-private partnership with Mpower. While successful PPP collaborations show a blueprint, they highlight the need for systemic …

ThinkEdu 2025: Integrate mental health awareness into medical education, say experts
2 months ago

ThinkEdu 2025: Integrate mental health awareness into medical education, say experts

New Indian Express  

CHENNAI: The 13th edition of the ThinkEdu Conclave 2025 spotlighted an issue that is often overlooked but deeply pervasive: India’s mental health crisis. Two eminent psychiatrists, Dr Pratima Murthy, Director of NIMHANS, and Dr Koushik Sinha Deb, Additional Professor of Psychiatry at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, dissected the layers of this growing concern and proposed solutions in …

Budget 2025: From AI in diagnostic to robotic surgeries to aesthetics, list of expectations for health sector
2 months, 1 week ago

Budget 2025: From AI in diagnostic to robotic surgeries to aesthetics, list of expectations for health sector

India TV News  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for the financial year 2025-26 on February 1. According to National Health Accounts estimates, India's share of healthcare expenditure has declined from 64.2 per cent in 2013-14 to 39.4 per cent in 2021-22, but the journey towards Universal Health Coverage remains challenging. Based on this, investments in AI-driven solutions by the …

Breaking the Silence: The crucial role of mental health awareness
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Breaking the Silence: The crucial role of mental health awareness

India Today  

Mental health in India is often shrouded in silence and stigma. Driven by personal caregiving experiences, where she and her husband lost family members to mental health and addiction problems, Dr Malik has dedicated her life to transforming mental health care in India. Athena Behavioral Health, under Dr Malik’s leadership, has implemented several innovative approaches to mental health treatment. For …

Why do patients who have been treated for mental illnesses continue to remain at institutions in India?
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Why do patients who have been treated for mental illnesses continue to remain at institutions in India?

The Hindu  

On a rainy September morning in Karjat, on the outskirts of Mumbai, 25 patients from the Regional Mental Hospital, Yerwada, arrived at the Shraddha Rehabilitation Centre, run by an NGO, to be reunited with their families. Hundreds of patients have been residents of government-run mental health institutions for years, even after having completed their treatment, in facilities in Maharashtra and …

Climate Change's Silent Toll: Mental Health in India Neglected
5 months ago

Climate Change's Silent Toll: Mental Health in India Neglected

Live Mint  

The article highlights the significant impact of climate change on mental health in India, with a focus on the underreported and often neglected economic cost of mental health. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach to address this issue, including investments in mental health resilience, healthcare infrastructure, and climate adaptation strategies. The article stresses the importance of integrating mental …

Bridging the Gap in Mental Healthcare: A Call for Philanthropic Investment
5 months, 1 week ago

Bridging the Gap in Mental Healthcare: A Call for Philanthropic Investment

Live Mint  

Philanthropists can play a crucial role in bridging the gap in access to mental healthcare in India by supporting grassroots initiatives and community-driven programs. However, it is essential to shift focus from short-term interventions to long-term systemic and structural change. By investing in peer support networks, community-based interventions, and integrating mental healthcare into primary healthcare systems, philanthropists can make a …

India must focus beyond mental health to prevent suicide, says Lancet study
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India must focus beyond mental health to prevent suicide, says Lancet study

India TV News  

Every year on September 10, we commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day to increase awareness of the need to lessen stigma and promote candid discussions to prevent suicides. To reduce suicide cases in India, where over 170,000 lives are lost to suicide each year, it is crucial to focus on issues other than mental health, according to an expert in a …

Silent revolution in the offing
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Silent revolution in the offing

New Indian Express  

RAJASTHAN: Though its needs are vast and rapidly growing, mental health care remains scarce in India, particularly in rural areas. Leading this change is Dr DS Poonia, a psychiatrist on a mission to address mental health issues in rural India, a concern often overlooked. Providing him with proper care was a turning point for me.” In 2023, Dr Poonia’s tireless …

Economic Survey 2023-24 calls for paradigm shift to counter rising mental health issues among Indians
8 months, 1 week ago

Economic Survey 2023-24 calls for paradigm shift to counter rising mental health issues among Indians

The Hindu  

The Economic Survey 2023-24 on July 22 flagged a rise in mental health issues among Indians, calling for a paradigm shift towards a bottom-up, whole-of-community approach to address the problem. Economic Survey 2023-24 updates “Mental health drags down productivity more widely in the ecosystem than individuals’ physical health issues,” it noted. “To an extent, the denial is an outcome of …

At Paris 2024, India to prioritise mental health
8 months, 1 week ago

At Paris 2024, India to prioritise mental health

Hindustan Times  

Bengaluru: Divya Jain spent a good part of the pandemic staring into tiny panels of anxious athletes on her Zoom screen. “The conventional idea of athletes needing mental support was largely to do with getting into a zone and reaching an optimal performance state,” said Parikh, Chairperson, Fortis National Mental Health Program. I wouldn’t have imagined that there would come …

IHP exploits 'mental health' concerns to target Hindus of India, BJP, and Modi in a Hinduphobic word-salad
10 months ago

IHP exploits 'mental health' concerns to target Hindus of India, BJP, and Modi in a Hinduphobic word-salad

Op India  

Amid the Lok Sabha elections, the left-liberal propagandist media outlets have played every trick at their hand to defame and vilify Hindus, Hindutva, the BJP-RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. IHP cites a George Soros-funded V-Dem Institute report to assert that Indian democracy is weakening under the Modi government and contributing to a ‘dire mental health’ situation To make a …

World Health Day 2024: Five strategies for enhancing your mental well-being
11 months, 3 weeks ago

World Health Day 2024: Five strategies for enhancing your mental well-being

India TV News  

As we observe World Health Day this year under the theme “My Health, My Right,” it’s essential to shine a spotlight on mental health, an often overlooked aspect of well-being. According to the most recent survey conducted by India’s National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, nearly 150 million Indians require mental health care services. A study by the World …

Teens self-diagnosing mental health conditions online is a dangerous trend
1 year ago

Teens self-diagnosing mental health conditions online is a dangerous trend

Live Mint  

Social media has many good things going for it. An 2023 article on the website of the John Hopkins School of Medicine states, “Increasingly, mental health professionals are observing children and teens self-diagnose mental health disorders after watching influencers discuss them on TikTok or other social media platforms.” Another article on the University of Utah’s website, on 2 October 2023, …

Self-reporting of mental disorders in India lower than actual burden: study
1 year, 1 month ago

Self-reporting of mental disorders in India lower than actual burden: study

The Hindu  

Social determinants play a vital role in access to healthcare and financial protection among individuals with mental disorders in India. Studies have shown that India needs to address gaps in access and financial protection for individuals with mental disorders to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Highlighting concerning trends regarding the reporting of mental disorders in India, a recent study by researchers …

Explained: Why younger generations in India seem so stressed
1 year, 2 months ago

Explained: Why younger generations in India seem so stressed

The Hindu  

Published : Jan 30, 2024 15:33 IST - 5 MINS READ Meghana AT, a theatre artist from Mumbai, is the creator of an interactive show “Plan B/C/D/E”. He also urged parents, relatives, and teachers to abstain from a “running commentary” on the students’ performance, saying it invites “negative comparisons” and is “detrimental to student’s mental well-being”. The pandemic “has fundamentally …

Mental Health in India | How does India tackle mental health issues among school children?
1 year, 5 months ago

Mental Health in India | How does India tackle mental health issues among school children?

The Hindu  

As per the National Mental Health Survey conducted in 2015-16, the prevalence of mental disorders among children between ages 13-17 was 7.3% in both genders. As per a report from United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, any mental health programme in schools must include five pillars of support — an enabling learning environment, access to early intervention and mental health …

How accessible and affordable is mental healthcare in India
1 year, 5 months ago

How accessible and affordable is mental healthcare in India

The Hindu  

The story so far: Mental disorders are a major cause of disability worldwide, largely due to insufficient understanding, pervasive ignorance, and social stigma. Noting the increasing burden, a recent Standing Committee report tabled in Parliament highlighted that the high treatment gap for most illnesses was due to a lack of mental health professionals, poor infrastructure and stigma. The policy landscape …

India’s mental-health problem is obscured by stigma, dearth of data
1 year, 5 months ago

India’s mental-health problem is obscured by stigma, dearth of data

Live Mint  

The past decade has reshaped our perspective on diseases. Despite one in every seven Indians suffering from mental disorders, with onset seen as early as age 14, the discourse around mental health is insufficient. School-level interventions have had tremendous success in India and worldwide, which is why introducing channels that help children learn about the delicate subject of their mental …

It is Time to Reboot Mental Health Care - News18
1 year, 5 months ago

It is Time to Reboot Mental Health Care - News18

News 18  

Galloping Mental Illnesses In part I of the trilogy on the eve of World Mental Health Day, I began with the consensus estimate that 1 in 7 Indians are, at any point in time, suffering from one or the other mental illnesses with humungous personal, familial, social and national consequences and a growing economic cost to the economy of India …

Academia Needs to Play Stronger Role in Raising Mental Health Awareness in India - News18
1 year, 5 months ago

Academia Needs to Play Stronger Role in Raising Mental Health Awareness in India - News18

News 18  

In the contemporary world, mental health is a subject that is often discussed and verily being talked about regardless of age and gender. Educational institutions can also inform and engage the staff, parents, and students about the value of mental health by organising workshops, seminars, and awareness campaigns. This also raises the urgent demand for establishing clear rules and policies …

World Mental Health Day 2023: Deepika Padukone & Shah Rukh Khan; mental health issues in Bollywood
1 year, 5 months ago

World Mental Health Day 2023: Deepika Padukone & Shah Rukh Khan; mental health issues in Bollywood

Firstpost  

Deepika Padukone was the first person to open up about her struggles with depression. This helped many to open up about their mental health issues. I was having trouble focusing, had short breaths, and frequently lost it.” Deepika even established her own organisation, Live Love Laugh, to aid those who are struggling with mental illness. I want to make this …

World Mental Health Day 2023: India Needs a Mental Health Minister - News18
1 year, 5 months ago

World Mental Health Day 2023: India Needs a Mental Health Minister - News18

News 18  

On World Mental Health Day 2023, I appeal to our prime minister to hold a mental health camp every quarter for the Parliamentarians, both from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. More than two decades ago, mental health camps at railway stations, initiated by the late Mr Gopal, a health activist, along with me received an overwhelming response. Instead, …

India needs youth mental health focus to strike demographic gold
1 year, 5 months ago

India needs youth mental health focus to strike demographic gold

The Hindu  

India is a country teeming with more than 1.4 billion people, and is in the throes of a demographic transformation. Youth mental health out of focus Adolescent health and well-being have become important in public health discourses worldwide. Other policies – like the Sarva Shiksha Yojana, the National Youth Policy, the National Mental Health Policy, the Yuva Spandana Yojana – …

World Mental Health Day | How does India address the burden of mental disorders?
1 year, 5 months ago

World Mental Health Day | How does India address the burden of mental disorders?

The Hindu  

The story so far: August marked the 41st anniversary of the National Mental Health Programme, a government initiative to address the burden of mental disorders. To achieve this objective, the Committee proposed to increase hospital beds and mental health institutions across the country, train human resources and establish a mental health department in the then-proposed All India Medical Institute. The …

Around one crore people suffer from severe mental health problems in India, says psychiatrist
1 year, 5 months ago

Around one crore people suffer from severe mental health problems in India, says psychiatrist

The Hindu  

Life will be smooth and balanced only when physical and mental health is in harmony. The disturbed mental health of humans leads to suicide, drug addiction, mobile habituation, abnormal behaviour and murders, according to M. Vijaya Gopal, a former Superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care. At an awareness programme, organised at the Public Library here on Sunday, Dr. …

Why many Indians are reluctant to trust mental health advice
1 year, 9 months ago

Why many Indians are reluctant to trust mental health advice

The Hindu  

Published : Jun 01, 2023 15:54 IST - 5 MINS READ A student based in Mumbai sought therapy after coming out to her family as a lesbian. This is quite dangerous to the mental health of so many individuals, especially those coming from traditional or restrictive families.” Same-sex marriage debate in India As India’s top court debates same-sex marriage, the …

Mental health is a serious issue in rural India
1 year, 9 months ago

Mental health is a serious issue in rural India

Live Mint  

Last week, the internet schooled actor Nawazuddin Siddique for calling depression “an urban concept”, and rather confidently stating that people in villages don’t get depressed. In October 2022, at an event former cricketer Kapil Dev said that he doesn’t understand “these American words, like ‘pressure’ and ‘depression.’” “It is misleading to say people in villages don’t have mental health issues. …

Dear Nawazuddin, It's Hurtful to See You Speak Such Loosely About Depression
1 year, 10 months ago

Dear Nawazuddin, It's Hurtful to See You Speak Such Loosely About Depression

The Quint  

Dear Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Given that India is the most depressed country in the world and Indians have the highest suicide rates, it would be an understatement to say that mental health attracts heaps of stigma in the country. Apart from being a massively celebrated actor in India, you are especially revered by rural audiences for your humble beginnings. Many look …

Mental Health: A glorified myth in India
2 years, 1 month ago

Mental Health: A glorified myth in India

India TV News  

Quitting is an option. According to a study in the Lancet Psychiatry, the average cost of mental health treatment in India can cost up to 30-40 per cent of an individual's monthly salary. According to a report by Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development, India is expected to suffer a loss of $1.03 trillion from 2012-2030. According …

Destigmatizing Mental Health for India Inc; Creating A Holistic Workplace For All
2 years, 4 months ago

Destigmatizing Mental Health for India Inc; Creating A Holistic Workplace For All

News 18  

Mental health continues to be the elephant in the room in the majority of corporate companies in India. “Managers need to acknowledge that stigma around mental health can lead to poor employee wellbeing outcomes such as low productivity and a higher churn. Companies need to create an environment that normalizes open conversations around mental health issues. Poddar shares some simple …

Mental Health & Insurance Law: Locating The Flawed Discrimination
2 years, 5 months ago

Mental Health & Insurance Law: Locating The Flawed Discrimination

Live Law  

World Mental Health Day 2022 falls on 10 October. The court observed that Section 212, of the Mental Health Care Act, 2017 recognizes the right to equality and it prohibits any sort of discrimination related to mental illness thus insurance companies should make provisions for medical illness on the same basis as physical illness. The Mental Health Act of 1987, …

Mental health issues are silent killers; require serious public intervention
2 years, 5 months ago

Mental health issues are silent killers; require serious public intervention

Firstpost  

More people die of suicide than Tuberculosis in India, mental health also affects physical health of the people. Hence, in post-pandemic India mental health issues require urgent attention As the human race rises from the phoenix following the worst medical catastrophe of the century there are many wrecks spewed all around. The mental health scenario before Covid-19 in India was …

World Mental Health Day 2022: How To Build Better Mental Health
2 years, 5 months ago

World Mental Health Day 2022: How To Build Better Mental Health

News 18  

Our mental health is a depiction of our sanity to put in simple words. Thus our goal shouldn’t just be to keep mental illnesses at bay but to make a conscious effort to improve our mental health every day. The concept of “Don’t fix, if it isn’t broken” is a part of our everyday Indian culture that does not allow …

Make Mental Health a Global Priority; What Action India Can Take at Policy & Social Levels
2 years, 5 months ago

Make Mental Health a Global Priority; What Action India Can Take at Policy & Social Levels

News 18  

Across continents, every year, October 10 is observed as World Mental Health Day, with the goal to raise awareness about mental health and illness. This year’s theme for mental health, announced by the World Federation for Mental Health, is ‘Make mental health for all a global priority’. The first element is perhaps that of ‘priority.’ There is an urgent need …

Early signs of mental health issues and how to get help
2 years, 9 months ago

Early signs of mental health issues and how to get help

Hindustan Times  

Caught cold and cough? Debasmita Sinha, Psychologist & Clinical director, Manah Wellness talks about some common signs that one may need a mental health professional. The mental health expert says while your emotional health may not interfere with your daily functioning or your professional responsibilities, it does indicate that something needs attention. Even dealing with difficult events requires help Another …

7 per cent of mentally ill Indians suffer from schizophrenia, says study
2 years, 10 months ago

7 per cent of mentally ill Indians suffer from schizophrenia, says study

India Today  

Established in 1859, the Agra Mental Asylum, now known as the Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, is the oldest and the most extensive mental health institution in India. According to a study on mental patients arriving at the institute for treatment, it is estimated that about 7 percent of Indians suffering from mental disorders have schizophrenia in various degrees …

Impact of Covid- 19 on mental health of children and adolescents
2 years, 10 months ago

Impact of Covid- 19 on mental health of children and adolescents

Hindustan Times  

Mental health is as important as physical health in achieving one’s developmental milestones. This complex array of challenges has led to grief, fear, anxiety, depression and parental fatigue, in turn, negatively affecting the mental health of children and adolescents. According to UNICEF, more than 330 million youngsters have stayed indoors for more than nine months causing debilitating effects on the …

World Mental Health Day 2022: Does your medical insurance policy cover mental health issues too?
2 years, 11 months ago

World Mental Health Day 2022: Does your medical insurance policy cover mental health issues too?

Live Mint  

As a result of the pandemic, depression and mental health issues have become quite prevalent. Although most people tend to buy health insurance covers to avoid loosening their purse strings in the rare occasion of hospitalisation, there is a wide perception that medical insurance policies keep mental health-related illnesses out of their purview. And even if there is an awareness, …

Look Beyond AIIMS and NIMHANS to Start a Mental Health Revolution in India
3 years, 1 month ago

Look Beyond AIIMS and NIMHANS to Start a Mental Health Revolution in India

News 18  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2022 has thrown a delightful surprise by announcing 23 tele mental health centres, with National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences as the nodal centre and International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore offering tech support. Beware of Over-medicalisation As NIMHANS director Dr Pratima Murthy recently shared in an interview, “This programme will be useful …

Union Budget 2022: Mental health finds rare mention in Budget; what does it mean and how will it help
3 years, 1 month ago

Union Budget 2022: Mental health finds rare mention in Budget; what does it mean and how will it help

Firstpost  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced the setting up of a National Tele Mental Health programme, which will see 23 tele-mental health centers being launched As India enters its third year of battling against the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of mental health is quickly being accentuated and spoken of. To improve the access to quality mental health counseling and …

Unresolved Grief During Covid-19 Shows Mental Healthcare is an Ignored Sector
3 years, 2 months ago

Unresolved Grief During Covid-19 Shows Mental Healthcare is an Ignored Sector

News 18  

With the upcoming surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, research suggests that this variant is less severe than Delta, with the chances of being hospitalised being 40% lower than that of Delta. Under general conditions, nearly 7% of those experiencing grief suffer from unresolved bereavement and other mental health-related problems, for reasons such as the inability to …

India’s great medical challenge: Talking about mental health
3 years, 3 months ago

India’s great medical challenge: Talking about mental health

Live Mint  

Infections and diseases are commonly and incorrectly associated only with physical illnesses. Before the pandemic, the national mental health survey 2015-16 had found that 12% of India’s population has some form of mental health issues. Increased needs In 2021, the hospitals and healthcare providers across India have reported an increased number of people seeking consultation and requiring admission-based treatment for …

Depression in times of Covid: One in 10 adults suffer from mental health issues in India
3 years, 3 months ago

Depression in times of Covid: One in 10 adults suffer from mental health issues in India

India Today  

A deterioration in mental health among the average Indian has been a matter of concern for psychologists and social scientists for long. “Three major diseases viz, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and renal conditions and neglect in regard to mental health conditions have of late shown worrisome trends,” according to the Niti Aayog’s ‘Heath Care in India Vision 2020’. Post Covid-19, governments …

Just another weigh of life
3 years, 4 months ago

Just another weigh of life

New Indian Express  

Sanjana agrees, “Men who struggle with body image issues prefer to hit the gym, chug protein powder, read self-help books, and even seek the help of online gurus who tell them how to develop a magnetic personality to charm girls. They will prefer any of these things over going to therapy.” It is only recently that Indians are comfortable with …

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